Grazza

Yeah, I am too. I don't actually know much about this game at all, but I'm looking forward to that now you've said it. Hopefully knowledge of DQVIII will come in handy, eg. knowing that spears and axes can do critical hit moves and are therefore good for defeating Metal King Slimes (as well as high agility), but we'll see! That's fine by me. Perhaps it's instant now? Or perhaps it bubbles away whilst you're out. Yep, I've got the PAL game and both Japanese CDs (Symphonic and OST). I'm glad I've got the MIDI ones as well, as songs like Over the Sorrow and Reminiscence are a lot longer (the orchestral ones end just as I'm getting into them!) Plus there are a few MIDI-only tracks like the "Piano Bar" one. I sometimes play the whole CD (either of them) through as I'm drawing in my sketchbooks. Very relaxing (and inspiring). I look forward to the Symphonic CD of DQIX if the in-game music grabs me. Can't wait to hear it. I don't think they did the DS ones, as the phrases are different. For example, instead of DQVIII's "None of the books appear to be particularly interesting", DQIV says "There don't appear to be any interesting books". Yup, I played DQVIII so much I noticed all the things like that! Both are grammatically correct, but I'm so used to the phrases used in DQVIII, it didn't feel like the same universe to me. Just Dragon Quest IV, which, to be honest, I didn't much enjoy. Thanks for the recommendation of V. I've been busy with Etrian Odyssey, but I will definitely give DQV a go now.

I hope this is the case. If Nintendo were still as technically-minded as they once were (in terms of game engines and 3D worlds), I could see the next Zelda as being a benchmark. (Or Metroid, actually, before the announcement of Other M.) What I mean by this is, in this day and age, you should be able to switch between 1st-person, over-the-shoulder and normal 3rd-person whenever you like. Then the game would be more defined by the concept rather than the perspective.

I'm impressed with how similar it looks to Dragon Quest VIII. The animation is fluid and I think I even saw an Alchemy Pot! I can't wait to hear the music, although I played DQVIII so much, it'll sound odd to me if the town and overworld tunes aren't similar! I loved that game so much I bought both the orchestral and MIDI soundtracks! Let's hope it's localised by exactly the same team as DQVIII, as phrases like "None of the books appear to be particularly interesting" (when you look at a bookshelf) are so eloquent. It also helps give a consistency between the games. Ah, I can't wait! Since DQVIII, the Dragon Quest world has become my favourite fantasy world (tied with Wind Waker's Great Sea), so I'm looking forward to going there again!

OK, I fired up Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings for the first time last night and I love it! I'm amazed at how well it captures the atmosphere of FFXII, mainly through music. Also, I love strategy games on the DS. It's no coincidence that Star Fox Command is another one of my favourites. There's something so addictive about having different missions, with things to mine etc. Incidentally, I regret that I didn't play Final Fantasy XII "correctly". I realise now that I just didn't know anything about RPGs and it's probably actually a great game. I can't believe what a wally I was with the Licence Board and Gambit systems! I take back any criticisms of those. However, I stand by criticisms of the overworld/lack of save points.

Yeah, it would certainly solve some of the problems associated with VR, such as being unaware of what's happening around you. The negative side is less immersion, but I'm hoping eventually an Augmented Reality display can simulate Virtual Reality, but with added safety features. I love all this sort of tech and it's good that they're always looking forward.

I voted "Significant/good". It doesn't usually make me say "wow", although sometimes it does, so perhaps I should have voted that. It's definitely the right direction and I'm entirely positive about it. I actually find it better for games than films, as it makes things like text and map screens as good as a computer monitor. Playing Motorstorm: Pacific Rift on my friend's 1080p TV just made me want to play the next Shadow of the Colossus or Zelda with that sort of clarity. For films, I'm blown away by the colours. I love Casino Royale and Into the Blue.

No, I just sell my consoles at the end of every generation. The GameCube is probably the first one I won't sell anytime soon, as I can see the "Wii 2" completely superceding the Wii, but not necessarily superceding the GameCube. If it plays GameCube discs, fair enough, but I can't see myself keeping both a Wii and a "Wii 2", if you see what I mean? Ah, fantastic, I wish I'd kept mine for the Metroid games. It's funny you should mention the GBA, as in many ways my GameCube is like my Game Boy Micro - the best machine at the end of a particular evolutionary line. I've got a DS Lite, but I don't like it as much as my GB Micro, so I can easily see myself selling the DS when there is a "DS 2", but not the GBA.

I don't think I'll sell mine. For one thing, it's probably my favourite ever console. Secondly, I don't know if I'll end up liking the Wii enough to keep it. I can see myself buying a Wii 2, which would probably run all the Wii games, but might not necessarily run GameCube discs.

The only FPS I've ever enjoyed is Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath on the original Xbox. I tried Halo 2 as well, but found it terribly aggressive. This is a large part of the problem. Much of their appeal is as macho, testosterone-fuelled experiences (or at least what people think is macho), but I've never been into that sort of stuff. This is also why they're always grey and brown. I dare say they are not strictly created in the spirit of traditional gaming, rather they are more for the "Loaded/FHM" audience (no offence intended to those who like them). The other problem is that it's seeming incredibly old-fashioned to have a game set entirely in 1st-person perspective. I've never liked the lack of peripheral vision or not seeing your character in the context of their environment. I reckon Ocarina of Time had it right all those years ago - only going into 1st-person for when you particularly needed to aim. I realise FPSes are all about aiming. Perhaps that's the problem?

Did you play it on the SNES when it was the newest Zelda? I loved it back then, but it's worn off on me a little bit every generation since, to the point where I was actually bored playing it on the GBA. It's a great game and it's aged well in almost every way, but I don't find it stimulating anymore. I'm not sure if I've played it too much, the GBA version is a lot worse or whatever.

Having a tribe of women all to yourself? No, seriously, it's an appealing idea. I like the idea of the person who looks like Link not necessarily being the Hero of Time.

Which is exactly why they should make another Celda, with Tingle in it too! I hear ya. I'm genuinely excited about this too. In fact, it's my favourite trailer since "The Legend of Zelda 2004". It shouldn't be underestimated how rare this type of game is nowadays...

Mario Kart - I really can't stand it in the slightest, any version. Just can't see the fun in being stopped by a weapon. Metroid Prime - To be fair, I liked a lot of this game, I just thought the fine-tuning was wrong.

Yup, I love it, I can't believe there have been complaints! In fact, I showed the video to my pal and he said it looked fantastic and "really colourful". People have been brainwashed into thinking everything should be grey and brown nowadays!

What Reggie says is music to my ears. This is one occasion where the sales speak the truth. I know there are always great small games that deserve to sell better, but Metroid should sell as many copies as Zelda. It's mainstream, it's pretty wholesome and it's an important Nintendo franchise. I'd go as far as saying the sales of Zelda and 3D Mario games are a pretty good indicator of how many "keen" gamers there are. Now, I do respect Prime and think it was underappreciated by the mainstream gamer, but also overrated by the hardcore. That's not meant as an insult, it was just too hardcore for me.

No, I totally agree with both you and Emasher. Well, I'm always considering all the consoles, it entirely depends on the games. However, I'm not turning out to be as interested in the PS3 as I once thought I'd be. The Last Guardian, whilst looking good, does not appeal to me as much as Shadow of the Colossus and, for me, the fact that PS3 won't host Dragon Quest X detracts massively from it. I'm still quite interested in the PS3 and 360, but am quite happy to wait for totally revised hardware (eg. the Valhalla and PS3 Slim). Then again, might we see some "same-architecture" machines, like the Wii? The PS4 could mainly have extra RAM and have the motion control as standard. The Xbox 3 could be approx double the power and, again, have Natal as standard. This might be a way for both companies to relaunch themselves more profitably.

Irrelevant. This is about building in a sophisticated variety of difficulty levels.

Yeah, I'm slightly bothered by the Punch Out and Metroid: Other M developers saying their games didn't need it and/or were better without it. That's what I thought. Ubisoft are doing the decent thing by making it mandatory for Red Steel 2. I'd have thought Nintendo would make it mandatory for Zelda, for sure. Yes, I agree. When MotionPlus was announced last year, I actually hoped it had been developed because Miyamoto wanted a better controller for Wii Zelda. However, despite all that, I'm not bothered about the support this year, as I'm sure everyone will buy Wii Sports Resort, and Red Steel 2 is a good 3rd-party substitute. If the next really big Nintendo game didn't use it though, that'd be odd.

I beat the Ice Dragon last night. The post-game content is taking ages - I didn't realise how hard it'd be! I took my Landsnecht, Protector, Alchemist, Medic and Bard, with a decent supply of potions. It started off alright, with me casting Anticold, Immunize and a boosted Relaxing (that set me up very well for the whole battle). The Landsnecht did Blazer and the Alchemist Inferno. However, I thought Anticold lasted five turns, yet I don't think it does, as we all took loads of damage on Turn 2. So, I had my Protector cast it every round. For some reason, the Dragon had some attacks that got through that, and I had three members knocked out! Luckily I got back on my feet with some Nectar IIs . From then on I had my Bard cast Erasure every round, just in case. The Dragon has got two annoying buffs, and I forgot to level-up Erasure so it gets rid of two buffs (I have now though!) Everything went fine from then on and I beat him!

The more I think about this, the more I believe the Vitality Sensor could be a massive breakthrough in gaming. In this interview, Iwata mentions a "Love Tester". Now, I don't know how sophisticated the peripheral really is, but if games are beginning to know how the player feels, that's an amazing breakthrough. In theory, whilst you are playing Zelda or an RPG, the game could know how much you like various NPCs. They could then react accordingly, by saying or doing different things. If Tingle amuses you, he pops up often. If not, he disappears! At the risk of sounding sad, you could have friends who help you out and treat you better because they sensed you liked them! Cheap rates at Hena's Fishing Hole!

Excellent, Sprout. The presentation is better than ever.

Yep! I thought of your "2D on Wii" idea when this was announced. I'd love to see Metroid and Kid Icarus. Maybe even Zelda, but certainly anything that is viewed from the side and involves jumping.

LOL! Thanks to both of you. I've got it now and can study it!

I didn't actually see it, it's such an intense video! By the way, does anyone know where we can actually download and save these E3 videos? I've only found places to stream them so far. As much as I love Zero Mission, I have no idea how to pull off most of the speed booster puzzles, even after I've read the FAQs. It just seems near impossible to me, although I had more success in Metroid Fusion.

Speaking as a Wii sceptic, I honestly find it the most exciting console now. The idea that it will host Zelda, a 3rd-person Metroid, two 3D Marios, a 2D Mario and Dragon Quest X really does put it high above the other consoles to me. I'm even quite excited about Wii Sports Resort. I'd rather they were on a better machine with traditional controls, but they're not, and it's the games that count in the end.