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tapedeck

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Posts posted by tapedeck

  3. Posted

    Luigi was slagged here??

     

    I think Luigi's underlying campness makes him a star. He is brilliantly mocked in the Mario and Luigi GBA and DS games. He is almost now like a parody of Mario. He seems to show that Mario is just a plumber and because of all his rescue acts he is now seen as a hero by everyone else (but Luigi). I like Luigi and I like the way (I think) he is the perfect reversal of Mario. His warbling voice also seems to highlight the distress situations cause him. Evident in Luigi's Mansion explicitly. Even as a fighter in Smash Bros he had a clumsy/camp element to him. What's not to like about harmless Luigi?!

     

    And the music update today is FABULOUS. Beautiful music. I thought the "My Music" section would be inclusion of SD tracks ala Excitetruck. That would have been good. But on the one hand wouldn't that mean some people would overlook the beautiful tracks produced for this game? I would love SD card music playback. This is the one game that should have more options to it than any other game before it. It would be great to crack skulls whilst rocking out to your favourite band.

  4. Posted

    That would be a horrific and inhumane thing to do to a small child. Sickening. I guess the plot thickens..I was at work this morning and some woman was showing me the front of the mirror saying "I told you they did it, I told you so". (The front of the paper had Madelines parents with SUSPECTS written above them). The fact she never picked up a broadsheet sickened me yet she was wholly adamant that all along it was the parents. She based this on the sheer fact of the parents supposedly leaving the child alone from the very start. People are obviously entitled to their opinions but shouting it out in Asda is just insensitive and rash. I hope the truth is laid out for everyone as soon as possible. As previously said it's just turning into a media circus.

  7. Posted

    Yeah, good examples. EA have already garnered respect due to changing the likes of FIFA etc. The could have kept it the same but no. Change. That's what the Wii is about to gamers. And they took the notes down. Clever EA. And The Godfather is still one of the best examples of how to get motion controls spot on. Brilliant controls there.

     

    I guess that is another area (like your example of Far Cry) where at the end of the 1st year of Wii development people will look: Controls.

     

    What have motion controls done for you?

    I remember sweating profusely killing the giant underwater snake/fish hybrid on Twilight Princess as I had been stabbing continuously like a nutter. When TP got you immersed it really felt like you had a sword in your hand.

    And Red Steel too. When it was spot on it was fresher than Daz.

    Then Excite Truck showed that you could really get on the edge of your seat tilting and twisting your way through, and over terrain.

    There are many good examples, with (I'm sure) many more to come.

     

    Motion controls are fabulous in my opinion. And the first years games have really brought some fresh ideas to the table. I'm sure we will see more DS ideas brought to the Wii aswell.

     

    What does everyone else think of motion controls? Have they lived up to expectations? Or was Wii Sports as far as it went for you?

  8. Posted

    When Lucasarts were pushing adventure games back in the day they were respectable. But they started whoring Star Wars thus thinking they were the greatest developers scince sliced bread. Even if Star Wars is one of the biggest franchises of all time it doesn't mean you.....Oh, wait! Sorry. How silly of me. Lucasarts are a business and just want the money. Star Wars sells. Let them whore it out. They are only tarnishing the franchise (or will George Lucas do that all by himself with this live action Star Wars TV show?).

     

    What a tangled web. But what a universe!!

  10. Posted

    I agree metroid. Great art never feels old. Look at Van Gogh. Peerless in design and still fresh. Many examples remain. It's like Mario World and Yoshi's Island. Yoshi's Island still looks fresh and vibrant. I think this is the way the Wii will go. Look at No More Heroes. It still looks fabulous now. And will people remember XIII (the cell shaded 1st person shooter) moreso than generic shooter number 2000? I think so. I feel many games which also have a graphical niche are going to sell on the Wii. Titles I previously stated such as Vib Ribbon, Parrappa the Rapper and Paper Mario.

     

    I still think the Wii has been a tough nut to crack for many developers this year. Not on a development side but just in regards to getting the most out of the system at retail and realising what gamers want from wii. I feel EA are miles ahead than any other company in regards to understanding the lay of the land. Ubi were just early adopters for the dinero. No gut feelings or love for Nintendo. Just for monetry purposes. EA seem to be really running with the idea that the Wii opens doors. And they are the ones taking the risks. If the biggest 3rd party in the world is doing this then the rest will surely follow the template they lay down?

    Maybe come the end of the Wii's 2nd year it will be easier to decipher what types of software will really stand out as console defining.

    As it stands now, everything is, essentially; guess-work.

  11. Posted

    I'm sure Nintendo aren't as nieve as some people think when it comes to studio aquisitions. Iwata's mind is probably ticking all of the time with forward moving gestures for the company (no wii pun intended). Japanese businesses barely rest on their laurels afterall.

     

    I'm hopeful that they do indeed have Monolith working on a large scale RPG. The Wii has the potential to tap a sector of the RPG market as many companies with stories to tell will fall prey to the existing higher development costs. We need new companies coming to the fore. Even Squaresoft started somewhere with a small budgeted game. With an almost 'lower entrance' into the market surely we will get some pots of gold both from experienced and new devs.

     

    I personally think Disaster has been indeed put on hold for the usual Nintendo influence. The sharp suits of Miyamoto and posse rolling in and finalising the project. Tweaking/influencing/guiding it to gaming perfection. (With pumpin' stereos playing The Beatles and bouncers peering as standard). I'm sure Nintendo want to create new IP's this generation in an effort to appease pre-existing gamers as they get merry in the office wailing their arms and hips around. It's also more affordable than ever before. No thanks to both the tech and the sales.

     

    If FF wrecked Matsuno's health periodically, I'm sure he would have become (deeply?) disillusioned with the industry as a whole. The Wii does indeed seem like the perfect solution to expectancy in the industry. The anti-norm.

     

    Just a little console going on it's own path. Earning the respect of others. How Japanese.

  13. Posted

    Well said Dazzy.

     

    The only thing wrong with Nintendo is their European release dates. It's like they are drunk on Gin. But when the games are as good as they continuously are; I'm just happy that we get them. It was waaay worse in the 80's and 90's. And that was only ten/twenty years ago. Things will change again.

  14. Posted

    Remember when cel shading hit it's peak with a game called the Wind Waker? The style was so good I doubted whether Disney could ever make a cartoon that looked good anymore. Infact it was like a Disney moment. It was like seeing those 3D moments in Aladdin. Or seeing the amazing Toy Story for the first time. Wind Waker did Cel shading better than anything prior. It is therefore timeless due to the style. This is a good direction for Wii games to take (look at Okami too.)

     

    I wonder what the next "style" (in the vein of Cel shading) will be? The only game I can think of currently pushing cel shading is the Simpsons video game. Seems a shame that it isn't as prevalent as it could be. Maybe I'm missing some examples.

     

    Games like Rez and Vib Ribbon and Paper Mario and Parappa the Rapper and Nintendo's Bit Generation titles suit the Wii perfectly. Big ideas not big budgets. I feel 'Wii Ware' titles could be where we see the real gems in years to come. It will be interesting to see how publications/websites cover these wii ware games. N-Europe recently covered (world exclusive!) one of these titles and that was well presented. In a typical preview format. I wonder if all games will receive the same kind of limelight when there are lots of games available. I hope we don't see the same situation as some NES/SNES games on the VC.

    Either way, the future of the Wii looks very rosy indeed.

  15. Posted

    Foreword

     

    Ok, so it hasn't been a year yet (nearly there already!) yet the Wii is, essentially; still an enigma. It's 'officially' the fastest selling console in the UK and it has played a major part in changing the face of gaming.

    As we all know, there are many reasons for this. One being Nintendo's dynamic and diverse marketing strategy (who would have thought?). And another being that we (gamers) will buy most things with the big N slapped on it.

    Yet the immediate lack of games from both 1st and 3rd party developers still rings in the minds of all devout console owners. A slow 1st year no doubt. We all know why..The Wii was written off before it started. With that due to change in the coming months (moreso than long term Nintendo-centric console owners should be accustomed to) the Wii should have a Christmas and new year we will never forget.

     

    My 1st year thoughts

     

    Many experts in the industry initially claimed that the Wii would be a fad. With hindsight I feel many were mainly looking at the system capabilities and intensely looking at those clever little Wii Sports ideas and duly thinking it bested any future output. Afterall, some companies are indeed still trying to best the ideas put into, essentially a tech demo. *Tiger Woods*.

    With updates to the core of the system and (most) channels given freely to customers, the Wii has, as a system at least, had a very good first year. We've never had a sense of community like we have with the Wii. There are problems for sure. Yet Firmware is the magic word. I just hope Nintendo don't promise the house and pull the rug from under our feet in regards to future content.

     

    The Future of Wii....

     

    The strong intellectual properties are of course coming to appease existing gamers yet what about those who bought the Wii because of the idea of a virtual reality, social/party/health machine?

    Wii Fit it is then.

    That piece of plastic has the potential to put the Wii in the mindset of people for years. "And" finally destroy the notion that consoles are only for the initiated. Coupled with the flowering ideas that were so prevalent in Wii Sports, I feel the Wii will be the biggest console in 2008. Nothing sells like health and fitness afterall. I would know. Having worked in the fitness industry for years, many people freely pay £40+ a month to get fit and stop after 2 months. Many keep paying.

     

    I'm optimistic. The DS launched with a Mario 64 remake. It also had card games and mini games galore. As an example, today we have Brain Training and 42 All-Time Classics. Games that turned Mario 64's initial templates into million sellers.

     

    If anything we should be happy. We are buying into the future of fun and (evidently) self-health! And with Wii you just know the family will actually give you that moment to get involved. And if that isn't proof that the Wii is a pleasure to own then you don't have a heart. :p

     

    I just wish people could see that sometimes it's the journey that's as good as arriving at the destination. The N64 is uber evocative to those that owned it due to that fact alone.

     

    Reflections below..I'm sure we will all enjoy hearing each others stories about our first 9/10 months with the console that they said would change gaming forever. The Revolution.

  16. Posted

    This seems to be doing quite well in the US so far. Judging by the charts for the Wii, it's kicking about in third. Being available at retail around the same time as Metroid is sure to knock sales of all new games though. Nice to see the interest is there though.

     

    This may actually strike a chord with the carnival loving Americans. It's not like the UK in which the shows are ran by Gypsy looters and child-loving seedy businessmen.

  18. Posted

    good shout metroid: I'm like an old man at times with other bands because nothing is as good as what I like and play. My other half is always saying "just appreciate it on a different level". But isn't that a trait of some women sometimes? Music/games/films etc can be just "enjoyed" for what they are. Yet with blokes its oh, so different at times. We can't seem to just switch off and enjoy something. We all seem to think we could have done better or made this/that better. Macho indeed!

     

    Gaming is bloody brilliant BUT many games are just difficult to fully enjoy when you have been touched by Nintendo. Wave Race has yet to be bettered. 1080 on the N64 was so realistic that it has ruined my perspective of serious snowboard games ever since. Mario 64 was so perfect that 3D platformers haven't been as good since. Zelda ALTTP was so clever I stopped watching The Crystal Maze. The list continues. Surely I'm not the only one!

  19. Posted

    I guess it's the age old argument of ignorance is bliss.

    When you are educated you seem to see problems and then you seem to inevitably live with noticeable problems! If you have nothing your knowledge is limited and (to the educated) life seems rosier.

    __________________________________________________________

     

    In regards to gaming I've noticed the similarity between the above and the games we play. Say we only play horrendously difficult games; we would accept games as tough. Then an easy game comes along and it would be slated for being WAY too easy. (Whereas it would only be easy in comparison to previous games). It's "what we know" we love.

    It also seems that those who mainly play Nintendo-developed games have developed an almost subconcious awareness of developed difficulty curves, intruiging, explorative elements and enjoyable mechanics. (Again, subconciously related to our humane understandings of gravitational elements, boundaries, response, feedback, reap and reward etc).

     

    I therefore think many gamers who have grown up playing Nintendo games have become accustomed to the above elements and regard them as standard. Like the Nintendo 'seal of quality'. But does this mean other games are appreciated as much by Nintendo gamers? I really do think many Nintendo gamers have a poor appreciation of other stuido's games. (And rightly so at times). We are SPOILT! It's hard to make such an assumption *as a gamer myself* yet having spent many years talking with (analysing) gamers I thought this would be sectional. It's not. Many diehard SEGA fans still proclaim the company to be able to turn their hand to anything with god-like status. And many Sony fans still feel Gran Tourismo created true definition of modern gaming and real-world symbiosis. Horses for courses indeed.

     

    With Nintendo I feel like I'm in a club. Or I support them like a favourite band. I buy Nintendo consoles because I instantly 'know' they will produce the greatest gaming, no; 'entertainment' in the next 5-6 years. It's a no-brainer. Cash paid. Next 'hit' please.

     

    Like a slave, I just know Nintendo will always produce the best entertainment available.

     

    Furthermore, I understand (and have become more aware) most gamers need to kick back once in a while (like a film,book,music critic) and just enjoy something for what it is. (It's not easy though, is it!) We are all critics afterall. But take your generic wii game or your Boogie and just appreciate it for what it aims to do. Just to entertain on some level. Maybe because at £30-40 a time I guess we should all be little critics?

     

    Do Nintendo fans have an appreciation or an arrogance over gaming?

     

    I have both. And I'm damn proud of it.

  21. Posted

    Fair do's about mr popularity pinata.

     

    Nintendo outsource is a difficult one. It's good and bad. I personally feel the in-house developers should be responsible for the 'traditional' IP's like Mario/ Zelda. Purely as they have such a good track record and the suits in Nintendo can keep a close watch on progress and standards. Outsourcing should be for new franchises like disaster and hammer. Look at SEGA's Sonic problems in the 90's when they outsourced Sonic. Yuji Naka wanted his baby back and everything went tits up.

     

    It's sometimes harder to collaborate on things than it is to produce something on your own. I guess it's all about the dynamics of teamwork. If companies get it right their can be positive results and 'freshness' put into the IP. Look at F-Zero GX/Oracle Zelda games for proof.

     

    I'm happy with a balance.

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