501
TalkBack / Re: Ocarina of Time 3D Unboxing
« on: June 02, 2011, 04:07:15 AM »
I want this now! Can't wait till its out!
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502
TalkBack / Street Fighter IV Australian Tournaments
« on: June 01, 2011, 01:27:31 AM »NWR's Australian guys check out both halves of a down-under tourney.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/26457
Last weekend, Nintendo of Australia held a pair of Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition tournaments that also doubled as a StreetPass gathering. One took place in Melbourne, Andrew Brown was there, and the other in Sydney, with Nicholas Bray in attendance.
503
TalkBack / EB Games Expo Announced for Australia
« on: May 31, 2011, 07:30:55 PM »Nintendo will be attending the major gaming convention.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/26456
EB Games Australia will be hosting a major gaming convention on the Gold Coast this year on October 15 and 16, the company announced.
Publishers such as Nintendo, EA, Disney Interactive, Square-Enix, Bandai Namco, Sega, Sony, and Microsoft are just a few of the attending exhibitors.
Tickets for the event go on sale on June 2.
504
Nintendo Gaming / Re: FAST: Racing League - will it scratch the F-Zero itch on WiiWare?
« on: May 30, 2011, 10:02:15 PM »
Oh wow I didnt realise this wasnt added to the Australian Wiiware... It looks good.
505
Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 245: Most Dishonorable
« on: May 30, 2011, 08:19:20 AM »
Playing against PD bots will do that to you.
506
TalkBack / SNES Club Nintendo Controller Commercial
« on: May 29, 2011, 08:50:18 PM »Nick tries to prove he is retro enough with this mock commercial.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blog/26443
My Super Nintendo classic controller arrived the other day, and one of the things I came up with other than writing a review for it, was to make my own Super Nintendo styled commercial!
So here it is, hope you all get some laughs out of it. And remember, stay RETRO-RAD!
507
TalkBack / Re: A Legacy of Personality: The Characters of the Legend of Zelda
« on: May 27, 2011, 07:49:10 PM »
Medli was awesome!
508
TalkBack / Club Nintendo Australia Update
« on: May 27, 2011, 09:12:27 AM »Giant AR card reward for Australians.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/26416
Club Nintendo Australia has once again updated their rewards catalogue. This time, the update is for a giant AR card for the Nintendo 3DS.
The card measures 73 cm by 46 cm. It can be used for any of the functions that the smaller version that came with the system is capable of. The reverse of the card features the mario image that the system allows you to use in the star pics mode. The card costs 750 stars.
Nintendo also states that because the card arrives folded, that there will be a crease along the middle, but it does not affect its use.
509
TalkBack / Re: Get Well Wishes for Zachary Miller
« on: May 26, 2011, 10:01:59 PM »
Hey Zach hope all is going well, sorry for the belated good luck/ get well message.
510
Podcast Discussion / Re: RFN RetroActive #18 - Perfect Dark (N64/XBLA)
« on: May 24, 2011, 07:36:49 AM »
I do like a lot of the levels in the single player for PD. I love that its not always required that you do things in a set order, and you can adjust your route if need be.
If anyone wants to play some multi, feel free to add me on the 360. I am up for it.
Traveller7
If anyone wants to play some multi, feel free to add me on the 360. I am up for it.
Traveller7
511
TalkBack / Wii Price Drop and Mario Kart Wii Bundle Launching in Australia
« on: May 23, 2011, 01:30:25 PM »Wii Sports is out and Mario Kart is in.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/26382
Starting June 2 2011, the Wii in Australia and New Zealand will be receiving a price drop and will include a copy of Mario Kart Wii.
The new prices for the system in Australia and New Zealand will be AU $199.95 and NZ 282.87.
Wii Sports will no longer be included with the Wii console, and will now be sold separately for AU $29.95 and NZ 42.34.
512
TalkBack / Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D Australian Launch Date Revealed
« on: May 23, 2011, 01:16:05 PM »Zelda Ocarina of Time Launches this June
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/26379
The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D will be arriving in Australia and New Zealand on June 30th, 2011.
The game will be priced at AU $69.95 and NZ $99.49
513
TalkBack / Nintendo Recaps Steel Diver's History, Why Mario's Fat
« on: May 19, 2011, 07:21:53 PM »The Steel Diver Iwata Asks reveals the game's origins, including why the game is slow paced and light on content.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/26357
Steel Diver was at one point planned to be a DSiWare title, and Mario is fat because games back then could only read square collision detections, according to a recent Iwata Asks about Steel Diver.
The 3DS launch title began life as a technical demo for E3 2004 for the Nintendo DS. After which, the game’s producer Tadashi Sugiyama became involved with other projects. The game wasn’t revived until Nintendo of America asked if it could be released as a DSiWare game.
At first the team was only working on one mode, but that quickly changed as they decided to move the game from DSiWare to a full retail DS game.
The team took awhile to get the controls and feel of the game locked down. Members of the team, along with members from the Super Mario Club, who do the testing for Nintendo games, said that the game was slow and didn’t respond well. They wanted it simpler and faster. There was a bit of back and forth with making the controls lighter, but then the game started feeling less and less like a realistic submarine. After experimenting with making the game easier to control, the team felt that it didn’t feel right, and decided to go back and make it slower paced and heavier again.
There were also challenges for the collision detection. Lots of things like the periscope stick out on a submarine, which can be tricky to get the collisions just right. Miyamoto joked about simply making the sub a square container like shape. He then went on to give an example using Mario.
“The reason Mario is a plump shape is because gaming devices at that time could only read collisions between square boxes, not because I wanted to make him cute,” Miyamoto revealed. “His design turned out like that because I adjusted for the capabilities of the gaming device of the day. For example, resolution was low, so I made his face big. But today's game consoles can handle collisions with round or irregular shapes. Even so, it's difficult with a complicated shape like that of a submarine.”
Just when the game was basically complete, Miyamoto told them that they should move the game to the Nintendo 3DS. At the time, they didn’t have a sufficient development kit, and getting the game to have the stereoscopic 3D effect wasn’t as easy as they thought it would be. Finally the team got it to look right the day before their presentation.
Director Takaya Imamura asked several times if they could add more content, but both Sugiyama and Miyamoto rejected the idea, instead wanting the game to be more focused and limited so that players could play it again and again.
514
TalkBack / Re: Mario Kart: Super Circuit
« on: May 17, 2011, 11:48:37 PM »
Ive been playing this a bit on my Micro. Still so much fun. I didn't think of this at the time of writing, but this game is also somewhat of a precursor to MK Wii's power slide mechanic. In this if you hold the slide down long enough, you will gain a small boost.
515
TalkBack / Mario Kart: Super Circuit
« on: May 17, 2011, 07:08:39 PM »Is it one of the best in the series?
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/extralife/26314
Mario Kart: Super Circuit is my second favorite entry in the series, second only to Mario Kart 64. I received it for Christmas in 2001 along with Golden Sun. After having nothing to play on the Game Boy Advance for months, those two games definitely hit the spot.
Super Circuit is a game that has a few firsts and lasts for the series. It was the first game to be developed by a company outside of Nintendo EAD, that company being Intelligent Systems. It was the last Mario Kart game where it was possible to rank out during a Grand Prix; future games in the series gave points to all positions except for last. This means that after Super Circuit, if you mucked up a race, you couldn’t just retry it. Super Circuit was also the first to feature tracks from a previous entry in the series, the game features every track from the original Super Mario Kart.
Sky Garden, one of the best!
I feel as though this is the forgotten Mario Kart. Many people seem to forget about it when talking about the series, or discount it as a sub-standard entry. I had a great deal of fun playing this game over the years, the tracks are fast, filled with tight turns, and look far better than the original SNES game. The game's graphical style is a cross between the Mode 7 graphics seen in the SNES original and the Nintendo 64 character sprite designs. The backgrounds are also full of color and detail, and one track even features a sun setting over the course of the track.
Some of my favorite gameplay tweaks are lost after this game as well. Firstly, I love how you can drop red shells behind you and they act as a homing mine. Another thing is you can collect gold coins, just like in the SNES game. Collecting a lot will raise your top speed. If you can maintain a high top speed, it is possible to outrun oncoming red shells. You can keep driving around the track, and it won’t hit you unless you slow down. I have managed to survive for over a lap many times and it feels great to pull this off.
The game was also the first to feature a ranking system for completing the different cups. The best rank is a three star and can be very tricky to get. I never did know the exact requirements to obtain the best rank. Most people say you have to get lots of coins and fast times, while some say you cannot even use items. I did manage to do a bunch without using items, but I eventually lost interest in trying to do every cup in every class.
Super Circuit also had multiplayer, with both single-cart and multi-cart play. I only played with a friend a few times, mostly because no one I knew had the game, and single-cart only allowed for four tracks. A few years later, we did have a second copy to use, and we hooked it up through two TVs, GameCubes and Game Boy Players, which ended up being pretty fun.
Ribbon Road
I highly recommend playing Mario Kart: Super Circuit. To me, it offers a challenge without being overly cheap, and the few gameplay tweaks that are only present in this game are quite cool. Some people don’t like the way the game controls, but if you take the time to adjust to the feel, it is a very rewarding experience.
516
Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #18 Poll - Originals & Remakes Edition
« on: May 03, 2011, 06:12:43 AM »I voted for BG&E. I keep hearing about how it's a great Zelda-like. Also I think it's easily the most available to people as it's on the most platforms.
By the way, it's available for download on Steam, so there's really no excuse to not play it if it gets chosen.
EDIT: Also, I have zero interest in shooters.
I think BG&E is pretty over-rated by the internet. I played it when it released, and while I enjoyed it, thought it was merely an average game.
517
TalkBack / Re: 3DS Battery Tests
« on: May 03, 2011, 12:56:36 AM »
I could. I may end up doing a few more tests.
518
TalkBack / Re: 3DS Battery Tests
« on: May 03, 2011, 12:16:47 AM »
I'm sure we could update this to include that.
519
TalkBack / Re: 3DS Battery Tests
« on: May 02, 2011, 08:58:03 PM »Charts! I love charts!
Do you guys think having the 3D slider on makes any difference in battery life when playing a DS game? Perhaps Nintendo disables the parallax barrier (and extra screen) entirely in this case, regardless of slider position.
I would like to see a comparison between a DS game and a 3DS game with 3D turned off. This would reveal the effect of the extra processing power used by 3DS games.
Also, could there be a difference between the two display modes for DS games? If the native resolution mode actually turns off unused pixels, that might save a significant amount of battery power.
The 3D slider did seem to make a difference when it was off for the 3DS game.
If people want, we can perform more tests between the 3DS and DS modes.
520
TalkBack / 3DS Battery Tests
« on: May 02, 2011, 07:31:01 PM »How long does the 3DS battery really last?
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/26166
Over the past few weeks I have been conducting a series of battery life test on the Nintendo. Much has been made of the rather paltry battery life, which Nintendo estimates at three to five hours, depending on system settings. However, the best way to understand the capabilities of the 3DS battery was to test it.
Procedure
The tests were conducted using Rayman 3D and leaving it idle for the majority of the test's duration.
These tests represent the absolute best you would be able to achieve, as the game is not having to process player input. I decided against playing the system as it would not be possible to give each test the same play sessions and because it would be impractical to play Rayman 3D for so many hours.
Settings (variables)
Nintendo states that features like the Power Saver mode, the wireless toggle, and the brightness settings can be adjusted to achieve better battery life. Similarly, the level of the 3D effect and volume also effect the draw on the battery. These settings are the variables for the tests.
Power saver mode is a technology that allows the 3DS to determine when the screen is dark, and dim the backlighting, in order to preserve power.
The wireless toggle turns off the systems on-board wireless communications, which will save power.
Volume settings effects the rate at which the battery is expended.
The 3D Depth Slider allows players to adjust the strength of the 3D effect that lends the 3DS its name. By turning it down power is saved.
The 3DS features five brightness settings, where five is the brightest and consumes the most power.
Test Results
Test 1: 3D Depth Slider - on, sound - on, Power Saver - off, wireless - off
First Brightness - 6 hours, 19 minutes
Third Brightness - 4 hours, 15 minutes
Fifth Brightness - 3 hours, 30 minutes
Note: The Power Saver mode is on by default. There isn't much a reason to deactivate it, but this provides a good baseline to judge the effect of Power Saver.
Test 2: 3D Depth Slider - on, sound - on, Power Saver - on, wireless - off
First Brightness - 6 hours, 30 minutes
Third Brightness - 5 hours, 07 minutes
Fifth Brightness - 4 hours, 46 minutes
Note: This is a more normal case than Test 1. It is very easy to turn off wireless, and if you're not playing multiplayer there would be no effect on gameplay by turning it off.
The effect of the Power Saver mode is very slight on the lowest brightness, as there isn't much the screen can do to dim it more than it already is. It is interesting that the effect on the middle setting is more significant than the higher setting, but that could be a result of the specifics of the test.
Test 3: 3D Depth Slider - off, sound - off, Power Saver - on, wireless - off
First Brightness - 6 hours, 36 minutes
Fifth Brightness - 5 hours, 26 minutes
Note: It is worth noting that turning off sound and 3D had a much larger effect on battery life on the brightest setting. The effect on the lowest setting was nominal. This could be related to the fact the system was sitting idle, and was not having to process the 3D images at the same rate it would be during normal gameplay.
Test 4: 3D Depth Slider - on, sound - on, Power Saver - off, wireless - on
First Brightness - 5 hours, 33 minutes
Fifth Brightness - 3 hours, 25 minutes
Note: This is a sort of worst-case test. Comparing the results to the first test (here the Power Saver is off, versus on/wireless on, versus off) the effect was much more pronounced when comparing the lowest brightness to the highest. In the case of the highest setting Power Saver only garnered five additional minutes, where as on the lowest setting it was a difference of 46 minutes.
Test 5: Nintendo DS Game (Mario Kart DS), sound - on
Third Brightness - 6 hours, 53 minutes
Note: Comparing the 3DS game to DS game, under the same settings, the DS game offers about two hours of additional gameplay in this test.
Test 6: Sleep Mode, wireless on
74 hours
Note: Not much to chart here. While asleep the 3DS goes for a long time.
521
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Ocarina of Time Remake for the 3DS: Malon in 3D!
« on: May 01, 2011, 10:40:30 PM »
Can't wait for this! I don't think the original looks bad enough to be unplayable, like most ps1 games. The game seems to upscale well on my tv. I do welcome this update though, to bad the colour palette was messed with a bit.
522
Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #18 Poll - Originals & Remakes Edition
« on: May 01, 2011, 10:21:19 PM »
I don't think that's true, the game design is different, but is definitely still playable.
523
Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #18 Poll - Originals & Remakes Edition
« on: April 30, 2011, 07:15:02 PM »
Perfect Dark was my vote. Its a great game. Yes shooters have evolved a bit since then, but what it loses in cinematic set-pieces, I think it gains much more in freedom to explore levels and is far less of a linear experience.
Anyone want to play some PD multi later on live?
Anyone want to play some PD multi later on live?
524
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Street Pass!
« on: April 30, 2011, 04:27:36 AM »
Took mine with me today when I went into the shopping centre. I left with three hits!
525
Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 51: The Church of Pikmin
« on: April 30, 2011, 04:26:11 AM »I enjoyed hearing the horrible old Nintendo ads. Conduit 2 is on the way from GameFly, btw. Zach, we'll have to exchange Friend Codes (TM).
Take that back, they are awesome!
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