Messages

451

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Official DS Sales Thread

« on: April 29, 2005, 08:57:26 PM »

I think Nintendo reissued the press release and corrected the amount from 3 million to 5. And when is Jump Superstars supposed to come out in Japan? That game is bound to cause another spike in DS sales.

As for PSP games, I could've sworn I read that at least 2 PSP games have already been cancelled and moved to the PS2. Their names escape me.

452

General Gaming / RE:GameFAQs deleting "negative" PSP Reader Reviews

« on: April 16, 2005, 11:25:50 PM »

Quote
It's going to be like the pre-internet days where you took a risk with every game you bought.

Yeah, that's pretty much where I'm at right now. I lost all faith in reviewers with the Paper Mario 2 debacle. I rely more on what people say on forums, at this point. If it wasn't for all the raving DKJB got, I definitely would not have bought it. (7.0 from Gamespot. 7.0 THIS!... Er, I'm holding up my middle finger. I guess you can't see it... bah)

Quote
I could say a third party publisher never threatened me.

I could say it. Or rather I wish I could say it.

But you gave Fear Factor a 10.0 in Lastability! That's high praise indeed!

453

General Gaming / RE:PSP vs. DS ... Final Verdict (G4)

« on: March 27, 2005, 08:55:31 PM »

The reason Nintendo refers to the DS as the "third pillar" and not the next Gameboy is:

1. To not cut into GBA sales.

2. To keep the Gameboy brand name from being tarnished in the event that the DS failed. Think about it. If a "Gameboy" fails, that's pretty much it for Nintendo in portables. But if the DS had failed, Nintendo could simply release the "real" Gameboy successor without having the stigma of it being the successor to a failed product.


Nintendo will continue to refer to it as a third pillar since the GBA continues to sell so well. I doubt we'll see the next "Gameboy" until 2007 at the earliest. 2008, more likely.

And it will play DS games. And it will have a touch screen. And a second screen. And a microphone...

454

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Yoshi Touch and Go

« on: March 27, 2005, 08:36:05 PM »

One little trick I discovered is that you can cause enemies to drop the items they're carrying by throwing a bubble at them. It's much easier to hit them that way, but it takes longer. Useful for when you're low on eggs. or if your aim sucks

Bill: How do you know you played 99 games? Does it keep a win/loss record?

455

TalkBack / RE:New Fire Emblem GC Movie

« on: March 24, 2005, 09:29:08 PM »

I hate to burst everyone's bubble here, but you do know that those cutscenes are FMV, right?
Right?

I mean, the graphics have improved quite a lot since first shown, but not by THAT much.

Bloodworth: From what I gather from all the screenshots I've seen, it appears that some characters can turn into animals. One guy turns into a wolf. Neat.

456

General Gaming / RE:Getting a PSP?

« on: March 21, 2005, 06:34:10 PM »

I think the key mistake everyone is making is that they're thinking of these portables as though they were consoles. In all likelyhood, a DS or a PSP will be someone's secondary choice of gaming. They don't need to buy a game for it every month, because they're spending most of their gaming on a console. I don't see the DS's library as being a permanent problem. Yes, it sucks that we have to wait for these games to come out, but they WILL come out. And it's not going to destroy the DS in the process. There are about a couple hundred games lined up for the DS at the moment. Is anybody actually worried that third parties are going to jump ship just because the DS will continue to go through a drought for a couple more months? I'm not. And if there is indeed a new Dragon Quest game in development for the DS, then Nintendo will have won this whole "handheld wars" hands down.

As for the PSP, the main thing I don't like about it is that it has no purpose for me. It brings near console quality graphics to a portable, but with a weak battery life, it nearly defeats its own purpose. I have no interest in its multimedia capabilities, either. And though the PSP may have more variety than the DS at the moment, that almost certainly wont be the case in the future. The DS already has a ton of RPGs lined up for the future, while the PSP only has a handful. I'm guessing it's a battery issue. And then there are games like RTS and FPS that are naturally suited for the DS.

457

Nintendo Gaming / RE:GoldenEye/Age of Empires screens and info + Snap! DS + New Capcom game

« on: March 20, 2005, 08:52:52 PM »

Some websites are reporting that a new Dragon Quest game will be announced for the DS soon. Not a spinoff game, but a real DQ. Has anybody heard of this? If it's true (even if it's a port or a remake or something), it could be the trump card for the DS in Japan.

458

Nintendo Gaming / RE:New Revolution rumors

« on: March 20, 2005, 08:28:51 PM »

Quote
History has shown that Nintendo is stubborn and doesn't usually care about any other developers' needs besides their own. They didn't care that the Cube's d-pad was useless because they themselves never planned to use it for movement. So realistically if they never planned on making any Rev games that would require two buttons to be pushed at once a touchscreen only controller would suit their needs. I don't think it is a touchscreen because Iwata has said it's not. But "the idea is stupid" is no longer a good enough reason to me to believe Nintendo isn't doing something.

Christ, Ian. Give it a freaking rest! We get it. You don't like how Nintendo has done things at sometime, someplace or somewhere. We know.

What I don't get is how you can still be so pessimistic about absolutely everything Nintendo does. The DS should be enough to show you that Nintendo is changing.

"Nintendo needs to go online! Because I say so! But they never will, because Nintendo is really stupid and stubborn and stubborny stubborn! I'm going to write a 7 paragraph rant on how Nintendo is f*cking up. Because they wont go online. Because they're stubborn. I'm going to assume that absolutly nothing has changed at Nintendo in the last 5 years.

Huh? What's that? The DS is going online... Er... yeah, well... the DS is for casual gamers! I'm a hardcore gamer, dammit! I'm just going to assume that all DS games are going to be short and simplistic, because the launch games are. I'm going to completely ignore the hundreds of games lined up on the DS that aren't short and simplistic... because they'll probably all get cancelled because the PSP will outsell the DS since it has an analog nub, and Nintendo was too stubborn to include an analog stick with the DS. Yeah."

We get it. You don't want Nintendo to make any more mistakes. But you're living in the past. Nintendo is changing.

459

Nintendo Gaming / Caduceus!

« on: March 20, 2005, 07:50:09 PM »

Wow. Check out this new trailer:

http://www.atlus.co.jp/cs/game/ds/kad/movie/promovtr_s.wmv

It actually looks... good! Not gimmicky or anything, but actually fun.

This is now on my list of games to look for. The only thing that confused me is why they started drawing pentagrams towards the end of the video. Is that standard medical practice?

460

TalkBack / RE:Ubisoft Unveils 2005 - 2006 Games

« on: March 18, 2005, 08:09:12 PM »

Ugh!

Crap, crap, and more crap. I still can't figure out how Splinter Cell ended up becoming such a hit series. It's slow, plodding trial and error gameplay. Wow! You get to replay the same segment over and over 20 times in a row until you play the game EXACTLY the way the developers intended the level to be beaten. Game of the Year!

Then there's Prince of Persia. Now, I don't hate this game like Paladin does, but it was by no means GOTY. Not even frigging close. And it was buggy as hell, but none of the reviewers happened to notice that. I suspect Warrior Within must've been nigh unplayable with its bugs, since the reviewers actually mentioned them in their reviews, and actually gave this sequel something other than a perfect score.

Beyond Good & Evil was the only Ubi game that actually warranted a sequel, and it looks like there's no chance of that happening. Looking at the way Ubisoft is becoming, I'm not sure I would want them to make a sequel to it now. They'd probably pull a Warrior Within. Just imagine, Jade's career in photo-journalism isn't working out, so she has to become a stripper. It would sell 5 million copies.

[Noble~Feather]

461

Nintendo Gaming / RE:DS release now breaks records in the UK!!!!!

« on: March 18, 2005, 07:19:21 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Noble~Feather
Games like Soul Calibur, Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell, Online Animal Crossing, Final Fantasy III, NFSU, MPHunters, C&C, StarCraft, AoE, SSB, Pokemon, Mario Kart, Rayman, Castlevania, Xenosaga, Advance Wars, Baten Kaitos, Dynasty Warriors, FF Crystal Chronicles,  Viewtiful Joe, a Mana sequel, Mario Bros., Sonic, Shin Megami Tensei, needless to mention some potentially great franchises like Another Code, Nanostray, Moonlight Fables, Lost in Blue, Egg Monster Hero (which is actually a long-time-running JPN franchise), ect... aren't core gamer games?

Did I miss something here? I don't recall Starcraft being announced, let alone rumored, for the DS.

Would be a real killer app, though.

462

Nintendo Gaming / RE:DS release now breaks records in the UK!!!!!

« on: March 16, 2005, 09:18:32 PM »

I take some offense from the comments that people have been making about the DS  being a casual gamer's system. If I like a game and casual gamers like that same game, does that make me "not hardcore" enough?

Warioware: Touched, for example. Somehow this game is considered to be for casual gamers. At least, that's what I gather from most reviewers. But why is that?

Is it because the controls are simple? Ikaruga is considered to be about as hardcore as you can get, and yet you rarely need to use more than two buttons, so that can't be it.

Is it because of the difficulty level? Yes, the game is very easy at first, but the challenge continually increases so I don't think that's it.

I think the real issue has to do with elitism. People have noticed that casual gamers are really taking to the DS, therefore those games must be geared towards casual gamers. What's really happening is that Nintendo has made a system with a form of input that any gamer, casual or hardcore, can get a handle on easily. Most people see this as dumbing it down, I see it as removing the unnecessary complexity that a lot of games these days tend to have.

My idea of what makes a hardcore gamer is that they play games because they're fun. That's it.

A casual gamer will play a game because it features a popular movie license/ has pretty graphics/ it's teh mature/ etc...

"if they haven't convinced a fan like me to buy a DS yet then they haven't made use of their head start"

You mean if they can't convince the most whiny, fickle Nintendo fan that ever walked the earth?

463

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Wario Ware Touched Demo Out Now!

« on: February 26, 2005, 05:22:18 PM »

kingvudu: I think that would explain why the game is perceived to have less variety, but just looking at the opening Wario themed games would prove otherwise. Yes, it has some same-ish popping balloons and poking things that aren't balloons microgames, but it also has three memory based microgames and a math(!) microgame. Too bad that in the minds of most reviewers, poking balloons is the same as poking keys on a calculator while solving a math problem.

Hell, the original WW had games that played absolutely identically but had different graphics. Touched does not, with the possible exception of the mic based games.

KDR: I don't see the point in complaining about this game being too easy. It's a game that continues on and on forever with an increasing difficulty. I suppose it isn't very hard to beat this game, and by "beat" I mean unlock the credits. But the point of WW isn't to beat the game, it's to get high scores.

Anyway, I'm just a little annoyed that this game is getting meh scores even though it's by far the best DS game out right now, and it really shows off what you can do with the DS's features.

464

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Nintendo Revolution, Discuss it here!

« on: February 26, 2005, 04:28:18 PM »

Paladin: Pretty much the only people who have their minds made up that the Revolution will suck are not the gamers, but the game journalists. I'm expecting a repeat of last year's E3 where Nintendo will wow everybody there, but inexplicably lose Best of Show to some unplayable trailer or hardware. Probably Halo 3.

The fact that gaming journalists call the PSP revolutionary and the DS's touchscreen a gimmick shows what kind of mindset they have. They're paid off by Sony

465

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Probably fake pic of a Rev development kit

« on: February 26, 2005, 04:03:43 PM »

Er... so Rick, any chance of you dropping some hints for us about the Revolution?

Anything at all?

466

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Probably fake pic of a Rev development kit

« on: February 23, 2005, 05:31:55 PM »

The guy that posted the image had this to say on Nintendo's forums:

"I'm the one that posted that pic of the Revolution that everyone is fighting over right now. Well I wrote down some of the things you people were saying and I went and asked my source (we'll call him Mario lol) about it.

1. The start up screen looks like crap

Mario's Response: That was a prototype/development system. Which means it's still being worked on. Which means there are a lot of things that will change including that start up screen. Gamecube, N64, and all other Nintendo systems go through similiar processes.

2. It's so huge!

Mario's Response: It's smaller than the Gamecube in that picture! That's a 17 inch display in the background. It's just a close up shot.

3. Nintendo wouldn't let you take a picture of that!

Mario's Response: Obviously. They didn't let me. I took it without permission. Although it doesn't really matter because it doesn't divulge any information anyway.

4. That logo is ugly/ that start up screen is stupid/ Nintendo wouldn't use that start up screen/ why is there info about ram and harddrive and core voltage/why is it being displayed on a computer monitor?

Mario's Response: Two words: development system. You people have no clue how a system is developed. It's not like we manufacture parts and then put it together. We piece things together, sometimes from left over parts. We use breadboards sometimes. A majority of the initial work is done on computers. Once the system is actually blue printed we make mock up systems which work nothing like the final production models. For example the Gamecube development system used cartridges! Programs were dumped from computers onto carts so that we didn't have to burn CD's or DVD's constantly.  So what that all means is this system is radically different than the production model or even the preproduction model.

Things like RAM and core voltage are displayed because that's vital information to know. A lot of things go wrong during testing. CPU temperatures sky rocket. Harddrives crash. RAM fails. That's why it's displayed on screen, it's vital info. It actually stays on screen the whole time, not just start up. The logo is just a splash screen some tech made. Most likely that won't even be the name of the final system.

It's on a computer monitor because all systems are tested this way. Like I said we don't manufacture parts then assemble a mock up. We use existing hardware. So we use a type of video card. Plus the system is connected to a workstation throughout most of the testing.

5. It's running hot/boiling

Mario's Response: It sure is. We were having heat issues. That temperature is still within normal parameters. The case was also partially disassembled. The case aids in air flow. Without it air can't circulate like it should.

6. What's with all the Pepsi?

Mario's Response: We like Pepsi. Actually Nintendo and Pepsi will be doing some promotions in Japan and also some more this summer in the US. The US promotion was going to run this month in the US but Pepsi had a prior deal with Apple and iTunes, so Nintendo decided to postpone it until summer. Pepsi sent all Nintendo offices cases of free soda.

So there you go everyone."

I dunno, sounds pretty convincing. Doesn't matter whether this is real or not anyway, since the pic doesn't show us anything important.  

467

TalkBack / RE:Midway Arcade Treasures 3 On the Way

« on: February 18, 2005, 08:32:59 PM »

Unlike MAT2, it appears that virtually every game in this collection is a quality one. But I'm going to have to agree with Ian and be skeptical here.

The Super Sprint games in the first two collections were virtually unplayable due to the controls. I suppose they could have altered the controls for a console experience, but that would require effort, wouldn't it? Why should I expect this collection to be any different?

The other issue I have is that arcade games, as is, don't always translate into a good console experience. I have many, many fond memories of Gauntlet for the NES, but found Gaunlet I and II in the other Midway collections pointless and boring due to infinite lives. I fear SF: Rush may suffer a similar fate since part of what I liked the most about the N64 game was that it was practically an adventure game that encouraged exploration and finding hidden keys. The N64 version had a practice mode without any time limit, which allowed you to explore the vast tracks at your leisure. I wasted so many hours just experimenting with crazy jumps and trying to find shortcuts, but if MAT3 tries to stay faithful to the arcade (and I'm sure it will), I can kiss my favorite part of Rush goodbye.

Oh well. I'm still probably going to buy this. Because I'm and idiot. And because I'm hoping it will include more hilariously bad promotional videos like they did with MK2. "WHAT WAS ONCE A RAGING FIRESTORM HAS TURNED INTO AN INFERNO... of profit."

468

Nintendo Gaming / RE:LOZ: 2005

« on: February 18, 2005, 07:32:56 PM »

Why would Aonuma consider the fact that the game will be "very, very beautiful" a secret? Have the graphics improved considerably since it was last shown?

469

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Resident Evil 4 Discussion

« on: February 07, 2005, 10:25:22 PM »

The pills are for slowing down the growth of the parasite.

470

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Age of Empires DS (Maybe)

« on: February 03, 2005, 10:20:13 PM »

This brings up another issue. Age of Empires is a Microsoft owned franchise, correct? Then this would show that MS is indeed supporting the DS after all (even if they aren't developing or publishing this game), and thus makes the possibility of a Halo DS seem all the more likely.

471

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Wario Ware High Scores

« on: February 03, 2005, 09:25:23 PM »

Huh, I never noticed this thread before.

Intro- 252
Jimmy 1- 97
Mona- 84
9-Volt- 118
Dribble- 128
Jimmy 2- 74
Crygor- 119
Kat- 129
Orbulon- 295
Jimmy 3- 118
Wario- 82

Easy- 400 (killed myself on purpose because it got boring)
Thrilling- 82
Total Boss- 30
Hard- 85

Pyoro- 13990
Pyoro 2- 49600
Dr. Wario- 69500
Fly Swatter- 600
Sheriff- 99999999 (Score doesn't go any higher than that)
Jump Forever- 173
SkatingBoard- 199
Paper Plane- 209

Me = Champion of WarioWare

472

Nintendo Gaming / Age of Empires DS (Maybe)

« on: February 03, 2005, 08:49:11 PM »

http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=4280

It seems that AoE may be in development for the DS. Neato!

Glad to see that someone finally realized the DS is great for RTS games.

[1]

473

TalkBack / RE:Sony's PSP Strikes in March

« on: February 03, 2005, 08:35:23 PM »

"That's 9 first party titles, none of which are ports (though ATV could be)."

Ape Escape and Twisted Metal are actually ports of PS1 games. I'm not sure about the other games, though.

I still believe everybody is wildly overestimating the PSP. It doesn't matter how many "goodies" are bundled in with it, $250 is way beyond what most people would be willing to spend on a portable system. $50 per game is more than most people are willing to spend on portable games.

474

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Sales Figures

« on: December 19, 2004, 08:52:47 PM »

The main reason I don't see the PSP beating the DS in the end is the lack of original games. From what I understand, the cost of developing a PSP game is comparable to a console game. So they have to charge more, resulting in a console priced game. This, in essence, makes the PSP the fourth console on the market.

Most people only have a portable as a secondary system, and not as their primary source of gaming. They don't buy as many portable games because of this. PSP games, on the other hand, cost about as much as a typical console game, so the decision to buy a new game carries about as much weight as buying a console game.

Will your average Joe gamer choose to purchase PSP games over PS2 games? In most cases, I would bet not. So what incentive is there for developers to create original games on the PSP if the software tie ratio is lower? What incentive is there to the average gamer to buy a PSP if they already own most of the games available for it?

I'm not counting out the PSP from getting some major exclusive killer app in the future, but it hasn't happened yet. MGS: Acid? Nah. I'm sure that game will sell real well in North America at first, but once word of mouth spreads that it's a card based strategy game, expect sales to plummet. And what's to stop the PSP from suffering the same situation as the Gamecube where so called "exclusives" end up getting ported to PS2 because 3rd parties want to reach out to a larger userbase?

I just think everybody has underestimated the DS, even Nintendo. First they projected 3 million sales, then they raised it to 4 million and now it's 5. Absolutely nobody expected this.

[ruby_onix]

475

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Will FF7 be possible on DS?

« on: December 08, 2004, 10:01:30 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: ruby_onix
Of course, I don't think that Square would ever allow it (at least, not on a handheld of this generation, unless it's the PSP), because it would make people think that FF7 was less impressive than they wanted everyone to think it was.

Interesting theory.

Of course, I'm not deluding myself into thinking this is something that would probably happen. I'm sure the PSP would be the top choice if Squenix ever decides to port FF7.

But you never know. If the DS ends up with a decisive victory over the PSP, Nintendo might be able to convince SquareEnix to allow this.