Messages

201

TalkBack / Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2009

« on: March 31, 2009, 11:22:20 PM »

Umm... Yes Wii can?!

So far 2k9 has been generous. 3rd party support is trickling in, and hopefully it'll stay that way for the rest of the year. Also, GTA:China Town Wars.

I wonder how long it take for Shiggy kidnapping people meme to catch on.

202

Nintendo Gaming / Re: GTA China Town

« on: March 30, 2009, 10:58:56 PM »

Good to know. Though be careful that you're not overwhelmed...

I've been buying up real estate when I get the chance. I've been giving emphasis those that have garages, since I want to park a ride there so that I have a car everytime I leave the safe house. But what does the description 'secluded' mean? I've been chased by the cops a few times to a safehouse, and I just save to the game to get the heat off.

203

General Gaming / Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'

« on: March 30, 2009, 12:57:45 AM »

A bit meta...

Some choice out of context quotes:

This year's rant, "Burned by Friendly Fire: Game Critics Rant," turned the mic over to game journalists instead of developers. Heather Chaplin, author of Smartbomb offered tough words for the gaming industry. "I've been covering the games industry for eight years, mainly for mainstream outlets, and I often find myself acting as a translator," Chaplin said.

"It's not that the medium is in its adolescence, it's that you're a bunch of ****ing adolescents," she said. "It's even worse because you're technically supposed to be adults." Chaplin traced the paucity of more mature content in games to four basic ideas that frighten men the most: responsibility, introspection, intimacy, and intellectual discovery.

N'Gai Croal, a newly-minted game consultant and former Newsweek editor, lamented the gaming press for validating distinctions between "hardcore" and "casual."...He encouraged everyone in the audience to Google the phrase "taxonomy of games" to begin unpacking the great array of different play styles and experiences. Croal hoped that one day we'll be able to talk about "tourist" players versus "skill" players or "perfectionists" versus "completionists."

EDIT: Now with 100 percent more quotes!

204

Nintendo Gaming / Re: GTA China Town

« on: March 28, 2009, 01:16:41 AM »

Just in case you forgot...

205

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Plans Nintendo DSi enhanced game cards

« on: March 28, 2009, 01:05:48 AM »

Link's Awakening DX had the dungeon that you could only access if you were playing on a GBC.
The Zelda Oracle of Ages/Seasons had a shop that could only be accessed if you played the game on the GBA.

Will Zelda:Spirit Trackers make it 3 in a row? Hmmmm...

206

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Animal Crossing: City Folk

« on: March 27, 2009, 12:15:59 AM »

And now, for something completely different...

207

General Gaming / Re: GDC 2009

« on: March 26, 2009, 01:47:11 AM »

Ummm... There's other news you know.

Some dude weighs in.

208

General Gaming / Re: The angst towards video game violence

« on: March 26, 2009, 01:27:07 AM »

When I went to middle school in the suburbs, our Library had a magazine section to rival the supermarkets. It had Rolling Stone, Time, National Geographic, Seventeen and other magazines for girls, and EGM/Nintendo Power for the boys, to name a few. Not unheard of, so it does come off as peculiar...

209

Nintendo Gaming / Re: GTA China Town

« on: March 26, 2009, 01:16:09 AM »

You have to steal 3 cars within a certain amount of time and drive them back

Yeah, that one took a while. I believe after you fail a few times, the game gives you more time to finish. Part of it is planning, and a little luck. I found that taking the closest, then the farthest, followed by the middle farthest worked for me.

This game is a time-sucker. After taking some cab missions, and just roaming the streets, 2 hours went by.

The dealing. Oh the 'pharmaceutical' dealing. I wish they could've put Curtis Mayfield's "Pusher man." It would've blended well with China-funk/hip-hop vibe...

210

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

« on: March 26, 2009, 01:07:13 AM »

Allllllllllllllllllll aboard the Souuuullllll train!

What's wrong with Epona?

Epona's services are no longer required. She can rest easy, graze, find a stallion, have children, etc. Not her problem anymore.

Haven't checked PH yet, but I think I have a little bit of time before Spirit Tracks makes its debut...

211

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Madworld

« on: March 26, 2009, 12:53:16 AM »

I have serious trouble seeing enemies against the backgrounds. 

Could be the levels. Varrigan City may be a bit disorienting, but hopefully you get used to it. The next hub is easier on the eyes IMO.

Thanks for the pix Pro.

Now, in MY eyes, the first picture is the sharpest, the second one the least sharpest, and the third the 2nd sharpest. I focused on the outline of Jack's head for reference. In this case, sharpness is what matters, since the color palette is minimal to say the least... Though you gotta wonder who was running QA for Platinum/Sega...

Oh well. I'll save hard mode for a rainy day. Or a gaming drought!

212

TalkBack / Re: Iwata Keynote Liveblog

« on: March 26, 2009, 12:28:30 AM »

Could the addition of Virtual Console Arcade mean we could FINALLY get the original arcade version of Donkey Kong with the cement factory level? It also gives me hope for the TMNT arcade game.

In theory, the sky's the limit for what can be released on Virtual Arcade. Now if Capcom wants some money, they know what do...

Yay for storage solution! At 32 gb max, that means its bigger than the 360 pro! Could more support for Wii Ware be in the works? Braid? Castle Crashers? There's absolutely no excuse now. Unless some titles go over 512 megs...

213

General Gaming / Re: The angst towards video game violence

« on: March 25, 2009, 01:47:06 AM »

Hmmmm...

214

Nintendo Gaming / Re: GTA China Town

« on: March 25, 2009, 12:39:08 AM »

I'm so busy having fun.

Basically, that's what happened when I got it earlier in the day, and opened the case.That was the fastest 3 hours of my life. Its cool that there's a map included, at least I won't get lost easily...

 I haven't gotten into other GTA games since Vice City, since I felt overwhelmed by the shear depth of the follow-ups. There was just too much to do. But so far, its just right.

EDIT: If you haven't already done so, Jonny Metts has the friend code thread up. Put those numbers up!

215

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Madworld

« on: March 25, 2009, 12:31:30 AM »

Beat it earlier in the evening, and was pleasantly enjoyed. Thing is though, The Black Baron? Seriously? The pimp that gets beat by his hoe during the Challenges? He's the champ?, how did Platinum get way with 480i/ shoddy PAL conversion?

Pro, is there a way you can upscale a screen shot/video, and show us the difference?

Story wise, I liked the message it was trying to go for, but it was executed sloppily IMO. Granted, I don't expect Shakespearean caliber, but they had Yasumi Matsuno. In typical Japanese style, it leaves us hanging. Make our own ending I guess?

All in all, it was viscerally fun, but needed some more polish. There's always next time... Will the sales be enough to consider another project from these guys?

216

TalkBack / Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2008

« on: March 25, 2009, 12:02:48 AM »

2008...

No More Heroes was actually pushed up, so as to not get caught up with Brawl's debut. Of course Brawl was subtely delayed...

Still, NMH to me is one of those discussion pieces about its not-quite-meta gaming. There was more substance than Killer 7, but there was more substance to judge...

I don't understand all the Brawl hate. Then again, I'm not a 'tourney'-level player, and still don't understand why people try to make this into a 'proper' fighting game. It isnt'. At the end of the day, its just mascot characters beating each other senseless, Looney Tunes style.

That's funny you didn't like Samus because I grew very fond of her in Brawl.

When I played it for the first time, I noticed that Samus had some weight to her. It was when I played ZS Samus, was when I realized why.

Oooh Okami. The game that came out mid-April, and lasted me until the end of may or so. Aside from a major-minor oversight, it was eventually solved.

Mario Kart Wii, or: How I spent the Summer of '08. The thing still irks me to this day is the liberal use of the blue shell. Its the only item I wanted turned off ...

Mega Man 9. Despite its reliance on spikes, it worked out the muscles that had gotten soft over the years. Strange though, despite being hailed as a success, we haven't seen any attempts at 8-bit revivals...

ToS:DOTNW. Nice, decent length RPG. Good fighting system, good story, don't understand where some of the hate's coming from.

AC:City folk is still in the rotation. 'Nuff said.

A miricle happened. Still don't know which Castlevania title I should start with though...

No mention of the Nintendo Channel?

I check it every now and again, and now with a DS, check out the occasional demo. I wish there was like a regular feature, like "Ask Reggie" or "Getting fit with Shiggy", that would compel people to tune in on a regular basis...

2008 is the year where rival fanboys stopped snickering about Wii being a fad, to crying out that Nintendo is ruining gaming for them. Only they matter, and that everyone else die in a fire. Despite the fact that they alone can't support gaming. As if Nintendo was some disease. Gaming 'journalists', 'analysts', and some developers joined in, fanning the flames.

Oh when will the Blue Ocean swallow them whole?

217

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Magician's Quest: Mysterious Times: What AC:City Folk should've strived for...

« on: March 22, 2009, 11:50:06 PM »

I skipped on AC: Wild World, so I don't have a 'communication game' on the go.

From what it sounds, it does what ideally 3rd parties should do with games that Nintendo makes famous: Takes the formula, runs with, takes in directions that Nintendo won't go. See Okami.

From IGN's preview:

In one of the first classes (seen in our game video) I learned a spell for making people fart, and went on a rampage of gas-ness across town. Some people got upset with me, but others just casted back, causing me to rock my own nasty flatulence right along with them. Good times were had by all.

It has my attention 

This game is due to release May 5 in the US but its coming out March 13th in the UK.

That's strange, why such lag time? Nonetheless, I'll keep an eye out for this one.

218

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Animal Crossing: City Folk

« on: March 22, 2009, 11:33:43 PM »

Lost my fishing tourney by .1 inch...

Didn't help that my villagers were stingy during the flea market. They sure weren't getting any of my stuff then....

Does the town culminate your donations, or does it start from scratch after you pass a milestone? For example, you donated 200k for the bridge, and it costs 500k for the next one. Do you need to put 300k or start over?

219

TalkBack / Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007

« on: March 22, 2009, 11:24:28 PM »

2k7, let's see...

To start off, SSX bBur. Talk about one of the quickest turn-arounds in gaming history. It was announced Dec '06, released Feb '07. That was one of the games that divided reviewers into two categories. Those that didn't get the controls and slammed it, the other 'getting it' and praising it.

It took a while but I eventually got it.

Got my VC on with Mario 64; I played at kiosks and at friend's houses back in the day, but never got the chance to sit down and try to get all the stars. Also, MK 64.

Sonic and the Secret Rings was a great title, one that was quite good when compared to Sonic 06 (released a few months earlier).

Yeah, it didn't have inter-species lip-locking thank goodness...

The online play is a joke now because almost everyone uses the exploits to score, and the only way to counter is to use exploits yourself.

When I picked it up, they were starting to use it, so I didn't stand a chance.

Alien Syndrome... was ok. It reminded me of Diablo I, with emphasis on gun/beam play. The foundation was there, but that's all it had for 40+ levels. The game refused to end. Though it was fun to put on a set of armor that suspiciously looked liked Master Chief...

While waiting for Metroid Prime 3, I picked up Super Metroid on the VC. Another game that back in the day I played in the kiosks at Sears, but never played it in its entirety. Aside from a few moments of being totally lost (and checking a FAQ...), I can see why this is considered one of the best games ever made.

Another set of VC favorites was Sin and Punishment/ the REAL Super Mario Bros 2. I could see why S&P got so much praise.  If it was released on the PS1/PS2, it wouldn't have control issues with dual analog. But we are getting the follow-up, so I'm looking foward to that. The real SMB2 still remains unbeaten to this day, I'm at level 4-4. Talk about an exericse in Sadomasochism..

What were some of your favorite VC faves for '07? Was your library full of games you already played back in the day, or did you play the ones you missed?

220

NWR Forums Discord / Re: What is a MAN?

« on: March 21, 2009, 09:54:41 PM »

Thanks for the input.

Is this the epitome of manliness?

What happens when a woman is 6/5ths of a woman towards a man?

More woman than woman? 

221

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Animal Crossing: City Folk

« on: March 21, 2009, 09:40:45 PM »

I'm on right now, if nobody else has their gates open I'll open mine.

Mmm... roast loach 

Looks like some more DLC will come our way, though I can't find the link for it... keep you eye out for Pete to show up at an unexpected time!

222

NWR Forums Discord / Re: Sore Throat - The Joke Thread

« on: March 20, 2009, 11:25:23 PM »

The imagery made it even funnier 

223

NWR Forums Discord / What is a MAN?

« on: March 20, 2009, 11:23:04 PM »

topic.

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General Gaming / Re: The angst towards video game violence

« on: March 20, 2009, 12:32:19 AM »

Somewhat related.

225

TalkBack / Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006

« on: March 20, 2009, 12:09:52 AM »

Oh yes 2006. This comes mind.

Next to the Celda debates, the name 'Wii' sparked one hell of a forum war. Smart move by Nintendo releasing that info before hand. Otherwise people would've been hung up on the name as opposed to checking out the awesome games.

My gut instinct told me to hold off on a DS purchase until a redesign was announced, and sure enough it came. That summer, I had other financial obligations that prohibited me from making 'large' purchases, so I waited. And waited. And waited...

Fast foward to mid-october '06 when EB got their Wii kiosk in. You had to present a driver's licence since the wii remote wasn't tethered to the kiosk. I played Excite Truck and wasn't really impressed with it. I understood the concept of the Wii when I got my hands-on, but needed something more.

Another store had Wii Sports on, so I gave it a go. That sold me on the Wii. When I put tennis and bowling, I knew. I believed.

The rest of the story can be found here. Its a short thread, and you'll see some faces that aren't around anymore...

One thing that sticks out is the Ebay scum for both PS3/Wii. I remember some winning auctions were as high as $700! I was thoroughly disgusted... What's funny though, is that by mid Janurary '07, the bubble burst for the PS3. I remember they were some personal ads around my school trying to dump the PS3's they couldn't get rid of. Talk about payback...

I never got around getting a DS for a while. But that's another story...