8 posts tagged “ds lite”

There used to be a time in gaming history when the very idea of ever seeing the mascot characters of Nintendo and Sega appear on either each other's platform, much less in the same game, was virtually incomprehensible.

This has been known for a while now, but seeing the official 'trailer' for the game (which sadly has no actual gameplay footage- I have a theory about games that don't sell you on gameplay footage in it's trailer/commercial), just makes it seem so surreal.

This almost echoes the odd feeling 10 years ago- seeing a Final Fantasy game appear on a non-Nintendo console. What's next? Microsoft Linux!? Hey- we've already seen Apple adopt Intel CPU's!
THE ENDTIMES ARE NEAR I TELL YOU!!!

It feels extremely odd that it is the middle of July- and the 'new and improved' E3 is currently underway.
I've been passively watching the coverage of the conference through my collection of favorite gaming blogs and news sites- and from what I've seen, there has been plenty to get excited about- nothing that completely blows me away- and definitely some notable absences.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

So what's the exciting news? It seems that Nintendo is keeping their word about not turning their back on hardcore gamers- though there really isn't anything new that we didn't already know- or at least speculate being there. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption looks amazing- and many are already saying this game may be one of the best FPS titles ever- thanks especially to the Wii's controller scheme- which is said to control the game unlike any FPS game before it. I have yet to see any of the new game footage- but it can only be an improvement over last year's jaw-dropping Metroid Prime 3 video. The best part- for me- is the game is released the day before my birthday- making it my 'birthday game' for 2007 (last year was StarFox Command on DS, and 10 years ago in 1997- it was Goldeneye on the N64).

Super Mario Galaxy

Nintendo also showed off more of Super Mario Galaxy, which seems to kinda be going back to some of the classic Mario roots- including what looks like a power-up Bee suit that gives Mario the ability to fly! Unlike Gamecube's Super Mario Sunshine (which was a good game unto itself- but I have a hard time considering it to be a real part of the Mario series), this title focuses more on enemy stomping, puzzle solving, and plenty of other classic gameplay in what Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime calls the 'first true successor to Super Mario 64', and the media is referring to as the Wii game that can graphically match the XBOX 360. We shall see about that (personally I think Metroid has a better chance of being a fair comparison of graphical prowess between the two consoles).

Mario Kart Wii

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Newly-announced, and a surprise to absolutely no-one, is Mario Kart Wii. Slated for released in Q1 2008- Mario Kart Wii will be online playable using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Hopefully Nintendo will improve the online mode for the Wii over what they did for the DS. Graphically, the game looks pretty good- though only a few notches above the Gamecube. But considering the game is still many months away (maybe longer if it gets delayed the way Metroid had previous been), there is definitely room for improvement- and I'm confident there will be improvements made.

Soul Calibur Legends

There have been plenty of other Wii titles on display at the show- including Wii Fit, which continues Nintendo's venture into everyone-friendly 'exergaming'. Soul Calibur Legends is the next (exclusive) installment on the SC series by Namco (stiiiil waitin' on that Wii-exclusive Ridge Racer title Namco!!!), Nitrobike by Ubisoft looks like a modern take on Excitebike.  Tony Hawk's Proving Ground- which will be released on all three consoles unlike Project 8 last year that saw release on the PS3 and 360 while Wii got the lackluster 'Downhill Jam' title. This game might actually be a 'Proving Ground' to see how the Wii visually keeps up to it's 360 and PS3 counterparts. Cruis'n by Midway is the next exclusive title to the classic series which kicked off with Cruis'n USA back in 1994 in the arcades. Ghost Squad by Sega is apparently a port of their arcade (Naomi?) title which supposedly plays similar to the Virtua Cop series- perfect for the Wii.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

What about my favorite system? Nintendo DS? There are a few big titles, like The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and Sonic Rush Adventure. Mega Man ZX Advent looks mildly interesting- but it still isn't 'classic' blue bomber that I've been craving. Contra 4 is looking like a lot of fun- so I'm hoping that Konami can deliver the same experience with this title as they did with the classic series before it. Almost anything since Contra 3 on the SNES has been a little, um, 'lacking'.  Ultimate Mortal Kombat might be worth a look- but the very fact it is based on MK3 irks me a little (nothing was better than MK2), Mario Party DS (apparently with online play) will be coming out. Sadly (or not) I'm not a fan of the Mario Party series- but I know a few people that might be willing to give this title a whirl. Brain Age 2 has been getting rave reviews in Japan already and will be hitting stateside shortly.

So there's plenty to look forward to- including a fair share of online Wii titles (finally). So with all this, what's missing? What hasn't been shown? What should be shown?

While this is more of a 'personal wishlist', I'm sure not too many will argue with it. Let's start with the Wii.
Pikmin 3. Miyamoto has hinted at it already- but it certainly doesn't sound like it's on-tap anytime soon. Maybe next year.
F-Zero WGX (yes, that's my name- I figured that 'X' was added to the 2nd game on N64, 'G' was added to the 3rd game on Gamecube, so why not add a 'W' in-sequence for a Wii version?). Why? Why? Why? Why? WHY is this game not even being rumored about yet?
PilotWIIngs (yes, my name again- hey Reggie, hire me- I got mad game naming skillz. haha). Nintendo knows we want this game on the Wii. Plus, with the right controls and twist- you could easily make this an 'everybody' game.
Kid Icarus Wii. Gamers have been clamoring for a sequel since the SNES days. Cummon Nintendo!!!!
Killer Instinct 3. Some of us still love impossibly-unrealistic combos and enough blood and gore to make a certain American lawyer weak in the knees. Hell- I'll even take this game on the 360!
NHL 08 Wii. Fuck You EA.

How about the DS?
Pikmin DS. Tweak it to be a little more like Warcraft (NOT WoW) and you'll have a game the DS was made for.
F-Zero DS. See a pattern here? I would only really like to see this game with the classic SNES-style gameplay without fear of your hovercraft spinning out. Nintendo would have to have a kind-of 'New Super Mario Bros' epiphany for this title.
New Super Mario Bros 2. Honestly- I'm kinda glad this game isn't at the show. Maybe Nintendo really is going to take their time on each sequel for this new series.

Notice I haven't even mentioned the XBOX 360- much less anything Sony has unveiled (like their 'upgraded PSP'). Honestly- I haven't been very impressed with Microsoft's showing as of yet. Besides all the regular, expected titles- Halo 3, NHL 08, GTA4 (that I've barely heard anything about), there really hasn't been anything that's stood out- yet.

All-in-all, this hasn't been a bad E3 show- maybe I'm just put off by the fact that it's changed. The excitement just doesn't seem the same. Maybe that's a good thing- instead of these companies trying to sell their games on hype and flashiness at the show, they'll sell them by producing good games.

Okay, they're not graphically stunning- especially when compared to something like, oh, say, 'New Super Mario Bros' or 'Final Fantasy III', but that doesn't mean I wouldn't give my left arm to play it right now.

Oh wait- I'd need my left arm in order to play the game anyways. Okay, well, I'll gladly trade for 'future considerations'. hehe

Regardless, looks like this could be a seriously kick-ass game. Can't wait!!

Oranga

'Oranga' is doing *much* better than 'orange' city did. I fired that other 'advisor' (Options -> Delete All Data) and started fresh. Unfortunately I ended up with the same land area- but I took a very different approach to city development this time around. Now 6 'Simyears' in and I am *making* money at the end of every month and have yet to even consider a loan. By comparison, 'orange' was over $70k in debt- unable to get *another* loan in order to begin to rebuilt a power plant- both of which blew up within 'months' of each other- leaving the city essentially a ghost town.

I have uncovered other gripes I have with this installation of the SImcity series- notably the map selection. Unlike previous Simcity titles- which allowed you to select from a vast array of maps on which to build your city- Simcity DS gives you one 'large' map which is sectioned off into a 4x4 grid. You pick one of the grids- and that is your map. Kinda sucks. Worse yet- the difficulty, and thus, the amount of money with which you start off with to build your city, varies according to which grid tile you select. Naturally there is only one $100,000 tile- in probably one of the most uninteresting Simcity maps I have ever seen in over 15 years of playing this series. The fancy maps closer to the ocean typically go from about $5-10k in initial funds. And despite having played this game for a very long time, there is NO chance that I could survive starting with a mere $5000.

The city of 'orange City' is no more.
Tonight I was effectively checkmated (?) by circumstances beyond my control (somewhat) in Simcity DS. After just 5 Simyears (almost to the day)- or just 3 'Earth' days, my fair city of 'orange' lies in ruins, a victim of it's own success in many ways. In the first few years, people flocked to the city, residential demand shot through the roof- topping as high as 90% of the classic 'RCI' ratio chart (that the Simcity series has used since it's origins- which graphically interprets citizen demand for 'R'esidential, 'C'ommercial and 'I'ndustrial city land). Why the 'Sims' flocked there, I have no idea. The economy was based on nothing- I actually somewhat believe they came to the city just because of it's 'europosh' name: 'orange' (note all lower-case). Commercial development tanked- despite low taxes (5%). Industrial demand shot up unexpectedly for a period, but it ultimately cooled and fizzled as well- again, despite low taxes. You couldn't keep up with the residential development. Just as you finished building the infrastructure around the newly-designated 'community/block', it would be nearly filled with new development- and you would now have to create another residential area, and so the cycle went.

Emptiness

The problem started immediately after the city's 5 year anniversary. The city had been growing so fast that it had put a tremendous strain on the utility system- specifically the power grid. Financially, the city struggled- having taken our loan after loan just to try and keep up with demand, eventually the city had so much debt that no loan would save it. Unlike previous Simcity games- this game only allows you to take one loan out at a time, and are limited to a maximum of $50k. So when the compiled debt mounted beyond $50k- and the cost of running the city became more than the taxes coming in- even at 10% for residential, commercial and industrial- resulting in a loss of a few hundred dollars every month, it became impossible to recover since there was no way to make room for more residents. It was a vicious cycle- luckily the misery was about to get much worse. The first of the two strained power plants- the original coal plant (a mere 5 years old)- exploded.

'You Have Done Well'

This power plant was the primary interface to the rest of the electrical grid. The second- ironically more powerful -plant had no other connection to the rest of the power grid except through the first plant. So without the first plant there to connect it- and no money to build an extension power line, the city went completely dark. That second plant, however, itself was stressed to it's maximum. And despite no longer being connected to anything, it also exploded shortly after. No source of power- no way to build more plants- a completely hopeless situation.

I edited my budget to cut all funding to all programs- and raise taxes to their 22% allowable maximum- hoping to perhaps revive a city with socialist-minded 'Sims' who don't mind giving up an extreme portion of their living to the government in exchange for guaranteed services. Sadly, that didn't take- and the last few hundred residents, who had been without power or essential services- including police, fire, medical, among others -for over additional years (after the first plant exploded- yes, some of them stuck around for some reason), decided that the 22% tax hike was the last straw, and left 'orange' to rot as a barren wasteland. Nothing more than a handful of abandoned buildings, two explosion craters, and the thousands of trees and parkland that lined every boulevard of the city- even in the industrial areas.

So now I will take what I've learned from 'orange' and start anew once again in pursuit of creating a handheld megalopolis. But not with my 'city advisor', Mr. Kaishu Tachibana- who didn't once tell me what is wrong with the city, but only ever sand the praises of what was right. You can't fix what you can't see- and I should have replaced you with that robot when I had the chance!! Mr. Tachibana- I bid you adieu. You're Fired.

The Final Day

Contra III (SNES)

Konami, today, announced the arrival of the forth 'official' entry in their famous classic side-scrolling action arcade shooter, Contra. Contra 4 is slated for exclusive release on the Nintendo DS console sometime in the later half of 2007.

While Konami has published Contra games on various platforms since 'Contra III: The Alien Wars' on the SNES back in 1992, few have received outstanding reviews and/or have enjoyed the same degree of success as their Arcade, NES, GameBoy and SNES predecessors. In fact, the very fact that Konami has named this title 'Contra 4' seems to indicate that Konami will be returning to their roots with this title much in the same way Nintendo has with many of their recent releases ('New Super Mario Bros' being a big example).

I expect we will hear much more about this title come 'E3', 20 days from now. Somehow, I think I'll end up pre-ordering this one even before a single screen shot is released.

Who or what do you really love?

I know the title is so cliche I die a little inside just for using it- but it's appropriate I think.

In about 11 hours we'll be in the sky on our way to Montreal. This will be the first time in almost 17 years since the last time I've flown East from Calgary- it's always only ever been flying west or south for me. I'm definitely looking forward to it. Ange has already checked us in online, so we can literally just walk onto the plane. She got us amazing seats too- Row 2, Window. And being the wonderful wife she is, she is letting me take the window seat and take charge of the camera. I can't wait to really see the rest of the country with my own eyes. I won't be shocked if I fill an entire memory card just on the trip out- but I may even use a slightly lower resolution just to conserve space.

However, in the event that we discover the entire country is covered in cloud- I picked up a little somethin' for the trip.

Nintendo DS: FINAL!

I'm definitely looking forward to immersing myself into a very different city with a very different culture. I'm actually hoping that I'll slowly start picking up some French while in Montreal over the weekend. Saturday, Ange and I have designated the entire day to wandering around downtown Montreal. Naturally my intent is to photoblog everything I can- and give the new camera a really good endurance test. Sunday we return home, but we apparently have a brief stop-over in Toronto- the only other Eastern Canadian city I've ever spent any time previously- and it was an overnight stop-over and we didn't even leave the hotel. I do want to explore Toronto one day, but we'll have to save that for another trip. In fact, depending on how well this weekend goes, we might try and do more 'urban vacations' to various cities more often- just for fun.

Should be an interesting weekend! Maybe this is the change I've been needing- something new and unfamiliar. I can't wait!