Messages

1126

Nintendo Gaming / Re: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

« on: November 28, 2009, 01:55:08 PM »

Update: Quick-saved after the third level in World 8. Continually impressed by the level designs the game is throwing at me. I could formulate a sizeable list of 'Wow' moments I've had from playing New Super Mario Bros Wii. Favourite level so far has to be stage 7-2, which had the return of Chain Chomps, a good amount of Bullet Bill hell and a tremendous concept of floating bodies of water in the air that made me gasp at just how slick it was.

I've not had any reason to pick a nit with the technical proficiency of the overall package. It's so colourful and vibrant anyway, and the buffed animation is where the difference between the visual presentation of the DS and Wii games are clear. I think I might be one of a minority who really likes the music too - very cheerful stuff. Don't forget that older titles such as SMB3 and SMW had much smaller soundtracks; not to knock against them as they're still great to listen to now, but the reason they were memorable is because you heard them a lot more frequently.

1127

Nintendo Gaming / Re: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

« on: November 26, 2009, 12:04:43 PM »

I've got everything between worlds 1 & 6 except the path to the cannon in world 6.
Just started world 7, but I might save that for tomorrow. Been trying to do 1 world per play session.

Ditto. I'm at the beginning of World 7 as well. The sky theme is my favourite in the DS game, so that bodes extremely well for these levels. I'm just waiting for access to the TV.

1128

TalkBack / Re: Level-5 Details Future Layton Plans

« on: November 25, 2009, 02:52:05 PM »

Indeed, and early figures indicate that Pandora's Box may be a similar success story. It's been one of a select few games to have received the prime time TV treatment this Christmas here in the UK. Plus, as far as I'm aware, it is still in the top 10 of the All Formats chart in most European countries.

Still though, the rest of the world may be too far behind for the second trilogy. I'm expecting the first trio to make their way to the West just fine, but by the time the third instalment (The Final Time Travel) is localised, which judging by the current rate of release for the series could be quite a while, we might be onto the next handheld system. Whether Level 5 sees any fruits in their labour to bring over another three Professor Layton games even after that point... remains to be seen.

1129

TalkBack / Re: Aonuma: Ocarina of Time

« on: November 24, 2009, 03:46:37 PM »

I'm surprised at the penultimate comment: '...and it has cost me a lot to accept that I don't have any natural talent'.
It's possible that he's being his own worst critic in a really hyperbolic manner, but it's still strange to read that. Aonuma has been doing brilliantly since he took command of EAD Group 3. I just hope he's got faith in the new ideas he and his team are putting in Zelda Wii.

1130

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

« on: November 23, 2009, 01:39:41 PM »

While it was a lot of fun the game actually doesn't seem like it was really designed for multiplayer.  It feels a lot like this is a single player game with multiplayer shoe-horned in.  It still works and it's still fun but it really feels like a predominantly single player game.

Miyamoto has said in interviews that this is exactly what it is.  The levels were designed for single player, and then they added multiplayer.

A clever move and to the game's credit. I will say that there's an important distinction to make between adding multiplayer afterwards and "shoe-horning it in". Two different things entirely and in the case of NSMBW, it's definitely the former: a worthy addition.

1131

TalkBack / Re: REVIEWS: A Boy and His Blob

« on: November 23, 2009, 12:11:13 PM »

I wish I had A Boy And His Blob, but I've been buying a lot more games than usual, so I think I'll work through a backlog I'm starting to build up before getting this. Still though, it sounds like WayForward has done a stellar job on this revival.

1132

Nintendo Gaming / Re: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

« on: November 23, 2009, 02:20:08 AM »

Progress report: Up to the end of World 5, the Forest. Having an absolute blast with this game. Looking forward to Iggy's Castle and the subsequent boss encounter.

1133

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

« on: November 20, 2009, 08:24:44 PM »

How much of the music is recycled from the DS game, and how much of it is a new composition? It's been a while since I played the DS one so I don't remember all of the music.

I've only at the castle level of world 3, so what I say isn't the full picture, but from the sounds of things:
The Overworld, Athletic and Fortress themes are taken from the DS game (and I guess you could include the famous Underground tune, which has really been taken from practically every Mario game), though 'recycled' is a spotty term. None of the arrangements in the Wii version are the same as before; it's a set remixes to those songs.
Beyond that, I think everything else is a remix from another game or a new composition. The Desert, Underwater, Ghost House and Castle compositions are new. The Map Enemy and Fortress Boss themes are from Super Mario Bros. 3, but the Castle Boss music is totally different. This isn't taking into account all the different Map Screen themes - those in the first three worlds are new pieces of music, at least.

1134

Nintendo Gaming / Re: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

« on: November 20, 2009, 02:49:57 PM »

Yeah! Freaking AWE-some!

Bought the game today and made it to the second half of world 3 in my first sitting. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is one of those experiences where an ear-to-ear grin is ever present on my face and on several instances my jaw drops at something insanely cool. Every level, there's some new quirk to the environment; there are way more moving obstacles and physics-based objects in these stages than any other Mario platformer I've played. Graphics may be low-key but the animation is certainly a leap forward, and the music is catchier than velcro (that Ghost House theme... wow). Oh, and you early adopters weren't kidding about the difficulty - less than half way through the game and I'm already starting the feel the heat.

I'm going to go play some more. Okay, bye.

1135

TalkBack / Re: REVIEWS: Rabbids Go Home

« on: November 16, 2009, 03:00:52 PM »

Nicely done, Pedro. I've only been able to devote a little under 3 hours to my copy so far, but it has exceeded my expectations. There are a lot more adventure game traits than I was anticipating and the comedy is everywhere, not just from the Rabbids.

1136

TalkBack / Re: It's New Super Mario Bros. Wii Launch Day!

« on: November 15, 2009, 05:18:14 PM »

Oh, you lot aren't appreciative of the 15th November date whatsoever. What a mockery of justice it is that the game on top of my wish list this year is 5 days away, while people who can buy it right now don't want it now or even that soon.
I'll trade you the PAL launch date for the NTSC one. Please, Nintendo, if you read this (HA!), provide New Super Mario Bros. Wii to those who want it more. Ah, if only....

1137

Nintendo Gaming / Re: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

« on: November 15, 2009, 03:29:00 AM »

NintendoLife review -- 10/10

20th November. I know this 5 day gap is peanuts compared to some of the delays between North American and European releases, but for me, the next week is going to drag on. With any luck, it will arrive a day early (although our 'wonderful' postal service may have other plans).

Yeah, I found that out last night while I was watching Gametrailers' review of the game.  Stupid decision, and all to throw in the usual tacked-on Nintendo motion control.  *sigh*  Wasn't the 4-player multiplayer gimmicky enough for Nintendo to just leave their usual nonsense out of this game?

Please please play the game before you call it tacked on.  You wouldn't believe how well it can work in many of the circumstances it is used.  Honestly, it should have been utilized to a greater extent, the motion controls worked so well.

Yeah, from the few preview videos I've watched (which isn't many; I've been deliberately avoiding footage of this game), the way tilting is utilised looks ingenious. I'm thinking of the underground level where the characters ride the raft through a pitch black cavern and the player controls the dual floodlights. That's awesome, and something I feel would be awkward without the three simultaneous inputs of directional pad, buttons and tilting. Let's consider how you'd play that on the Classic Controller. The control sticks would be the best control for the light, which would mean you have to take thumb off of either the D-Pad or face buttons. Basically, I don't think it's fair to call it "tacked-on" - after all, no reviewers so far have had a problem with the control aspect of NSMBW and the people here who have played it seem to enjoy it.

1138

TalkBack / Re: Medaverse Developer Diary: A Simple Challenge

« on: November 14, 2009, 12:11:06 PM »

I don't know why this flew over my head before, but I sat down and read all five articles in this developer diary today. Firstly, I just have to say that that it was been a very insightful read -- I'd like to give props to Jesse Lowther for giving these behind-the-scenes look at Gravitronix. It's refreshing to see a developer talk so freely and honestly about their game.

If you don't mind answering them, Jesse, I've got a couple of questions on this overarching topic.

I'll start with the subject lots of people are eager to know about. This is concerning Nintendo's involvement. I'm sure you frequently get these ones in interviews, but how closely involved were Nintendo on the project? How helpful were they in both the development and publishing phases? What is your opinion of the way release dates are handed out, the way the profitability policy works and the way the WiiWare service is managed in general?
This line of enquiry is common, I know, but I sometimes get the feeling developers aren't always giving their real feelings on the matter when questions like these are asked. You seem to be an honest, truthful guy, more so than most for sure, so I'd be interested to hear what you think based on your experience dealing with Nintendo whilst making this game.

My other question is more to do with the future of your studio. Do you have any other pipe dreams that you'd like to make a reality on WiiWare? After reading through this feature, I'm more intrigued about what else you and the rest of the Medaverse team could produce (I think the concept of Gravitronix is sound, but the reviews put me off, I'm afraid). The pages about 'The Mistakes' and 'What We Did Right' tell me that you've learned well from your debut effort, which is more than I can say about certain big-name developers. If you have more ideas as unique as Gravitronix, and you can learn from the errors of the past to make the execution better, I can guarantee that I'll be keeping an eye on anything you announce in the future.

1139

Podcast Discussion / Re: NWR Newscast: Episode 5

« on: November 14, 2009, 04:45:40 AM »

All finished. Brilliant show this week. The crew is really coming together now, I reckon. You're all speaking naturally and everything flows very smoothly because of it.

I find it amusing how EA is using Nintendo as a scapegoat for the low sales of their own games. With Nintendo helping out Capcom and Square Enix to promote Monster Hunter and Dragon Quest respectively, it makes sense because both of those third parties are primarily Japanese; their Western branches are probably less willing/able to spend a lot on advertising, hence the obvious need for assistance from NoA and NoE. EA, on the other hand, are a Western publisher - one of the biggest video game publishers at that. All of their resources are focused on selling it to America and Europe, so they should not need Nintendo to hold their hand when it comes to marketing.
A Japanese publisher having trouble selling to the West I can understand, but a Western publisher having trouble selling to the West... sorry EA, I'm not buying that excuse. Nintendo shouldn't have to finance your advertising campaigns for you to be successful, you just have to try harder.

By the way, Neal, I got Rabbids Go Home yesterday. Now, you mentioned getting codes off a website to unlock some additional costumes. Can these be unlocked by simply playing the game normally, or are they only accessible via these codes, akin to the hidden modes in Madden 10? 'Cause if it's the former, I'd like to find them myself, but if it's the latter, I'll seek out the codes.

1140

Podcast Discussion / Re: NWR Newscast: Episode 5

« on: November 14, 2009, 03:47:50 AM »

Cheers, Andy. I'm listening to it now - up to the start of "What're ya reviewing?". Heheh... I just imagine the Resident Evil 4 merchant saying that.

1141

Podcast Discussion / Re: NWR Newscast: Episode 5

« on: November 14, 2009, 02:56:14 AM »

The link to the MP3 feed is broken. When I clicked on it, I was greeted with a giant wall of text and URLs relating to previous episodes of the Newscast.

1142

TalkBack / Re: Three's a Magic Number: The Wii Turns Three Talkback Thread

« on: November 12, 2009, 03:00:23 AM »

Kudos to you, Pedro, for taking the time to construct these articles. I don't know if anyone else on staff contributed to them so far, but if not, insist they help out. So much to talk about, so little time, am I right?

Considering the relative age of WiiWare compared to rival download services XBLA and PSN, I think it's doing extremely well. And if you disagree with that sentiment now, I'm sure you'll feel differently by the end of Q1 2010. There was a feature in a magazine that previewed somewhere in the region of 30 decent-to-great games coming to WiiWare in the next five months.

1143

TalkBack / Re: The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks to Feature New Instrument

« on: November 11, 2009, 11:59:59 AM »

Prediction: Despite the doubts fans will be all over the game once its released.

Quote me on this.

Seconded.

1144

TalkBack / Re: The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks to Feature New Instrument

« on: November 10, 2009, 03:10:38 AM »

I concur, KDR. Then again, a Legend of Zelda game is something that I would probably want to sit down with and put a couple of hours into in each sitting. If I'm playing my DS in public, it never goes beyond a 30 minute stint during a bus journey - I don't think I'd like to play Spirit Tracks in such bite-sized chunks.

But yeah, microphone integration in videogames is meant for home consoles, really.

1145

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Rabbids Go Home - New Rayman game w/o Rayman

« on: November 09, 2009, 06:26:00 PM »

This game is flipping awesome.

Hell, even the co-op mode is fun. Probably the best implementation of the Super Mario Galaxy-esque two-player mode yet, imo.

Nice. Do you think it lives up to Ubisoft's early claim that new gameplay elements and innovations are introduced roughly every quarter of an hour?

I'll probably ask for Rabbids Go Home for my birthday. The characters were always a neat concept, so I'm really glad they did that personality justice with this adventure styled design.

1146

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

« on: November 09, 2009, 04:28:58 PM »

That's the unfortunate side of the modern day World Wide Web, I'm afraid. It is the reason I've become much more choosy with the gaming websites I visit. Information you don't want to know yet is too easy to accidentally come across, which is why, in a bizarre twist, Nintendo's recent policy of being more secretive about their future first-party software is kind of a blessing. When there's less info being exposed, the internet cannot throw so much of it in our faces. I'm just happy that I still know very little about Spirit Tracks, as well as New Super Mario Bros Wii.

1147

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

« on: November 09, 2009, 02:17:01 PM »

9th October - New Item Detailed

Today, it was revealed that in The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Link would be able to utilise a brand new instrument known as the Spirit Pipes. It is played by selecting from the colour-coded pipes on the Touch Screen while simultaneously blowing into the DS microphone. Every dungeon in the game will have a specific song assigned to it which must be played in order to access it.

So, three items out in the open at the moment. All new to the series as well. They appear to be showing a lot of creativity as a whole in this game, so I'm reassured. It looks like some people have already cemented their opinions in advance, however...

1148

Podcast Discussion / Re: Radio Free Nintendo: Episode 169

« on: November 09, 2009, 12:19:55 PM »

That intro... I'm trying to decide between "comic genius" and "cringe worthy". It's like when someone tells a bad joke, yet you laugh anyway, not because it was a good punchline, but because the awfulness of the pun is funny in itself.

Rapping aside, well done again for delivering the goods. New Business was solid; I would quite like to catch up with the second Boom Blox now, as the first one managed to hold my attention for a fair old while and I like the sound of the improvements pretty much across the board. The lack of A Boy And His Blob made me sad though. Surely one of you must have bought it or at least would like to buy it imminently - I know I will be.

1149

TalkBack / Re: Three's a Magic Number: The Wii Turns Three Talkback Thread

« on: November 05, 2009, 04:17:16 PM »

Yeah, I was about to answer, but Vudu has it pretty much covered.
Although now that you've reminded me of all those games, it makes me think of another potential topic. If there's not enough material to talk about 2D games, I'd guarantee there's plenty to say on the "The Flourishing of WiiWare". It's been an exceptional year for the service and it's not over yet either. There's at least a dozen titles worth owning at this point, plus several more good ones before 2009 climaxes.

1150

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Rabbids Go Home - New Rayman game w/o Rayman

« on: November 05, 2009, 12:24:50 PM »

If your second impressions are as praising as your first, Tanatoes, I will likely be pushed over into 'purchase' territory... Need. More. Money.

In reviews news, the ONM UK review was leaked early: 83%.