Wii General Discussion

[Fierce_LiNk]

You know, I think Brighton is an excellent place for shopping for games of the Wii variety. You do get the usual shovelware taking up some shelf space, but in the GAME, Gamestation and places like HMV, a fuckload of shelf space is given to Wii games. With the DS, I think that is covered more in shovelware than the Wii, and I find it a lot harder to go shopping for DS games than Wii games.

 

I've played de Blob today for about 3 hours or so. I was playing it, and then one of my housemates (who also owns a Wii) came in to watch me play it. She stayed for the whole three hours and watched me, and said the game was very therapeutic. I've lent the game to her, and she's also looking to pick it up, as ASDA apparently have a cheap deal going on the for the game, or something.

[Dante]

EA Games (stop at 1:26)

 

NFS:N footage at 1:14

Edited May 10, 2009 by Dante

[david.dakota]

FierceLink raises a good point. Without trying to stereotype his flatmate, there are likely millions of Wii owners who don't think of buying 'proper' software- they go in store, see piles of shovelware and buy it. They're not only casual gamers- they're casual buyers too. They won't research titles, read reviews, look at what just out, just see it and buy it.

 

Out of all three manufacturers, Nintendo desperately needs to get more videos and demos on people's screens- the Nintendo channel is a step in the right direction, but insanely underused. And those consoles offline have nothing. The Nintendo channel should be pushing 'marketing messages' to Wii Message Board (it already asks users for their permission for christs sake)- "out this week" kind of thing with a direct link to the Nintendo channel. A game should only be on there if a video is available, create a decent write up, review quotes, include screenies. The Nintendo channel could also have links to select online retailers (would more than pay for itself with the referral fees some retailers pay).

 

For offline consoles, videos on disk- or a slimline Nintendo channel that streams video from the disks (lets face it, there's plenty of room on disk with most of todays shovelware) or even small demos too.

 

Nintendo are third parties need to be more proactive in selling games.

[Goron_3]

FierceLink raises a good point. Without trying to stereotype his flatmate, there are likely millions of Wii owners who don't think of buying 'proper' software- they go in store, see piles of shovelware and buy it. They're not only casual gamers- they're casual buyers too. They won't research titles, read reviews, look at what just out, just see it and buy it.

 

Out of all three manufacturers, Nintendo desperately needs to get more videos and demos on people's screens- the Nintendo channel is a step in the right direction, but insanely underused. And those consoles offline have nothing. The Nintendo channel should be pushing 'marketing messages' to Wii Message Board (it already asks users for their permission for christs sake)- "out this week" kind of thing with a direct link to the Nintendo channel. A game should only be on there if a video is available, create a decent write up, review quotes, include screenies. The Nintendo channel could also have links to select online retailers (would more than pay for itself with the referral fees some retailers pay).

 

For offline consoles, videos on disk- or a slimline Nintendo channel that streams video from the disks (lets face it, there's plenty of room on disk with most of todays shovelware) or even small demos too.

 

Nintendo are third parties need to be more proactive in selling games.

 

Yeah that's a very good point. They announce it and do nothing with it. That's of the reasons I love LIVE, it pretty much promotes every new game or XBLA game from the moment I put my 360 on. I wish Nintendo did something similar with the Wii and DSi.

[darksnowman]

Was just about to unleash a new thread but I doubt anyone else would deem this thread worthy. I read this the other day and meant to post it up then... and it doesn't seem like anyone else has got in before me... Dante's slacking is he?!

 

North America Gets Sakura Wars

NISA localizing strategy RPG; transforming robots included.

by Ryan Clements

 

US, May 8, 2009 - At NISA's San Francisco press event last night, the publisher happily unveiled that it would be bringing Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love to the US. The anime-styled, robot-filled RPG is scheduled for launch this Fall and combines traditional dating-sim elements with mechanized combat.

 

Sakura Wars puts the story in the player's hands, as the player's interaction with the game dramatically influences the ending (there are six in all, all of them fully animated). As the player nurtures relationships between certain characters, their performance in battle will also improve and the strength of their combination attacks soars. This means that the game's social elements are closely tied to the battle system.

 

Once engaged in battle, players can either fight on the ground or in the air, as the bipedal robots can transform freely between humanoid and jet forms. Depending on what form the robots take, their attacks will also change accordingly.

 

Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love is spread across eight story chapters which will last approximately four to five hours each. The game takes place in New York and will also feature plenty of mini-games and bonus features once the player completes the main story.

 

IGN

 

Here's hoping the US release could open the door for us Europeans.

[Emasher]

I think the Nintendo channel should be implemented into the system menu. There should be a bunch of stuff on the system menu that is grayed out when you aren't connected to the internet, to let people know that they can connect to the internet, and give them a better reason to. They should have a list of games that are recommended or featured right under the disk menu. And you should be able to download demos (to a cache), look at screenshots, and see the trailers, perhaps even read reviews, with only a few button presses. But they really need to make people feel that they're missing out by not connecting their console to the internet. For the most part, everyone connects their computer to the internet, because they know they are missing out if they don't. Nintendo needs to show people that the same thing goes for consoles.

[Fierce_LiNk]

FierceLink raises a good point. Without trying to stereotype his flatmate, there are likely millions of Wii owners who don't think of buying 'proper' software- they go in store, see piles of shovelware and buy it. They're not only casual gamers- they're casual buyers too. They won't research titles, read reviews, look at what just out, just see it and buy it.

 

Out of all three manufacturers, Nintendo desperately needs to get more videos and demos on people's screens- the Nintendo channel is a step in the right direction, but insanely underused. And those consoles offline have nothing. The Nintendo channel should be pushing 'marketing messages' to Wii Message Board (it already asks users for their permission for christs sake)- "out this week" kind of thing with a direct link to the Nintendo channel. A game should only be on there if a video is available, create a decent write up, review quotes, include screenies. The Nintendo channel could also have links to select online retailers (would more than pay for itself with the referral fees some retailers pay).

 

For offline consoles, videos on disk- or a slimline Nintendo channel that streams video from the disks (lets face it, there's plenty of room on disk with most of todays shovelware) or even small demos too.

 

Nintendo are third parties need to be more proactive in selling games.

 

A lot of the games I have in my collection are probably games which my friends or housemates know very little about. My housemate has played more of de Blob today, and she's really loving it, but she's also had a rummage through my collection and has found one or two more she'd like to try, and one or two that she's put off by (No More Heroes and Madworld).

 

To be fair to her, she has got a few good games in her collection, the likes of Zelda, Mario Kart, Super Mario Galaxy. But, there are dozens of people who just ignore games because they don't like the look of them, don't know much about them, or don't know they exist. I think many gamers are guilty of this, too.

 

Your ideas about the Nintendo Channel make a lot of sense, imo. It's a shame Nintendo are not doing more to promote the lesser-known games. I actually think there are a lot of cult-games on the Wii, which haven't sold tremendously, but the fans who have picked them up have tended to love them. Games such as ExciteTruck, Eledees, that sorta thing. They are there.

 

What annoys me at the moment is how the Wii is being written off, and it's being done more-so by the gamers than the "casuals." I think people are so reluctant to put their hands into their pockets and actually go out on a limb with some games. Far too many gamers are buying "safe" games which they know will be to their taste and will be fun, the games such as Mario Kart, Mario Galaxy, or other Nintendo-owned franchises. They stick within their comfort zone, and rarely venture out of it. In my opinion, the best games I've enjoyed this generation have been the understated games, games where I was not 100% sure if I should be buying this particular games, but ended up loving.

[Tigerdust]

Reading what F-Link (am I allowed to call you that?) just posted above has prompted me to put in my two cents worth and kinda made me realize something about myself. I used to think of myself as a hardcore (cringing as I write that) gamer, but I think I just got lucky. What I mean by this is I found a lot of good games by mistake. Super Metroid, Castlevania, Secret of Mana, the Super Mario games, Starfox, the list goes on. Didn't read reviews about them just picked them up as I thought they looked cool. That was back in the "good old days". I think things were a bit more guarenteed to be worthy of purchase. However in this generation of games since the Wii launched I am guilty of playing it safe because I've been burnt by titles that sounded great but I felt really let down by. Red Steel was an example of this, It's a good game but not the greatness I had expected. Other games which I thought were going to be good but I just couldn't get into were Heatseeker, Okami, (I'm gonna get punished for saying that but I have to be honest about my feelings here). No More Heroes felt too samey, Zack & Wiki frustrated my tiny mind. Super Paper Mario felt rushed and incomplete.

 

What I'm trying to say is I have now decided to take the safe route and only pick games that I feel I will enjoy. Gone are the days of taking a risk and buying something just because it gets a good review (8/10) usually being the norm for the good Wii games as I didn't enjoy them and felt like I wasted my money This probably makes me a bit of a gaming snob to a certain extent and I do feel a bit stupid for it, but I think I'm going through some sort of gaming puberty where I'm not sure what I should be buying or playing anymore as I'm scared I won't enjoy it unless I feel it will be a sure thing. Although in saying what I've just said, I do intend on buying Tiger Woods Golf and I NEVER would have bought a golf game or any other sport game on a previous Ninty console - as I've never owned anything but Nintendo consoles.

 

I'm having troble expressing myself here but I am scared of these new games as I'm afraid I just won't like them if I buy them unless it's an established franchise that I feel confident in. Although who knows that may even come back to bite me on the bum.

 

Love a duck - I'm confused, anyone else feel this way? (I had trouble expressing myself just now so aplologies if what I wrote does not make sense, wish I could talk face to face about my feelings here.)

[Jonnas]

While I've been ignoring Wii games in favour of DS and VC games (that shall change, though), I find myself enjoying new, different games way more than "safe" series. I've enjoyed Soul Bubbles and EBA way more than I enjoyed Metroid Prime 2, for example (I loved Metroid Prime, and I bought that one when I hate most FPSes. That was another excellent gamble)

 

Which is why I'd rather watch a few trailers, check some pictures, read some impressions (even if the game gets a 5/10) and verify if the pointed flaws would really bring the game down for me. And when I say "impressions", I don't mean reviews. Reviewers usually have a different perception of difficulty, pacing, durability and fun. Gamers are the ones that play like me, so I listen to them.

 

So yes, I'm with Flinky on this one

[Ganepark32]

Takt of Magic trailer and images:

 

http://www.gamekyo.com/videofr15074_takt-of-magic-esquisse-images-et-video.html

 

Doesn't look too bad. Certainly looks like a decent step forward from LostMagic on the DS and looks like it'll play a lot better than that.

[Hero-of-Time]

When we look at the situation of Wii in Japan, we cannot say that the mechanism which worked on DS is working on Wii. Two years after its launch in Japan, in the latter half of the previous fiscal year, we were not able to largely increase the ratio of third party publishers sales in Japan.

 

However in Japan, the much-anticipated Monster Hunter Tri will be launched in the coming summer. Several new strong Wii titles are expected to follow. We recognize that this is an important, challenging time for us. We will challenge to increase the presence of third party titles on Wii. - Satoru Iwata

 

How about you get 3rd parties to stop release tripe shovelware and then follow it up with some core 1st party efforts!

[Retro_Link]

PAL version...

 

 

The PAL REmake boxart looks crap displayed in this format, IMO!

 

For the purpose of this Re-release, the US art works better, as it looks more like a polaroid of the mansion incedent that you might find in an 'archives' file.

Edited May 13, 2009 by Retro_Link

[Grazza]

Love a duck - I'm confused, anyone else feel this way? (I had trouble expressing myself just now so aplologies if what I wrote does not make sense, wish I could talk face to face about my feelings here.)

 

Welcome, Tigerdust. Nice to have someone from Wellington, as I'm hooked on Flight of the Conchords at the moment!

 

Personally, I'm not really a fan of "quirky" games. I generally want to move some sort of character with certain moves through some sort of environment. As video games improve in technology each generation, I just want them to get better and better, not necessarily different.

 

This is not to say I like generic games, not at all. I'm totally out of line with the mainstream's love of football, realistic racing and FPS. It's just that I'll play something like Okami and not really consider that "quirky" at all, apart from the control scheme.

 

I suppose I like old-fashioned games, and if I think it'll be good I'll buy it, regardless of whether it's part of an established series or not.

[Hero-of-Time]

Awesome new rumour!

 

This better not turn out to be false…or I’m going to have to stomp some people.

 

According to German magazine M! Games, Konami is going to bring back the Rocket Knight Adventures series, with a new entry being developed by Climax. If that is true, then this revival will definitely hit the Wii.

 

Last we heard, Climax had two projects in the works for Wii and PSP. One of those would be Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, leaving the other to be Rocket Knight Adventures.

 

Even more juicy is that the rumored return will come to us in 2.5d, instead of a 3d outing. Dear Konami lords…please let this be true.

 

 

I will be SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy if this is true. The RKA games were awesome back on the Megadrive and I would love to see the series return. If this is true im hoping they release the other 2 games on the VC.

 

[Dante]

Nice

source

[mcj metroid]

Awesome new rumour!

 

 

 

I will be SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy if this is true. The RKA games were awesome back on the Megadrive and I would love to see the series return. If this is true im hoping they release the other 2 games on the VC.

 

 

i actually preferred twinbee on the snes.. it did the rocket power but it was infinate.. you could actually fly straight up to space

[Guest Captain Falcon]

i actually preferred twinbee on the snes.. it did the rocket power but it was infinate.. you could actually fly straight up to space

 

Yeah, Pop n' Twinbee: Rainbow Bell Adventures was awesome. Fantastic art and animation with wonderful music to boot. The level design was generally excellent too.

 

It became ridiculously easy in two player though as so long as one of you were alive, you could keep on rejoining. Still, I remember having so much fun with that one and am longing for it's arrival on the VC.

 

I'd certainly take that over a RKA/Sparkster game

[mcj metroid]

Yeah, Pop n' Twinbee: Rainbow Bell Adventures was awesome. Fantastic art and animation with wonderful music to boot. The level design was generally excellent too.

 

It became ridiculously easy in two player though as so long as one of you were alive, you could keep on rejoining. Still, I remember having so much fun with that one and am longing for it's arrival on the VC.

 

I'd certainly take that over a RKA/Sparkster game

 

ah thank you I couln't think of the proper name for the life of me..

 

yes I played RKA recently and I thought it was pretty average to be honest but I loved it BACK then .. meh.. guess It's a nostalgia thing.

[tapedeck]

I had Pop 'n Twinbee on the SNES. The shooter game. Not the 2D platformer. Loved it!

Would love to see that franchise rebooted. An IR top down shooter would be sommat new (with retro NES controls optional clearly).

 

I had RKA on the SNES. Although it was renamed Sparkster. Looked a ton better and had some great new animation. Would love to see this franchise back. There's not enough cartoon animals in 2D games these days!

[Guest Captain Falcon]

I had Pop 'n Twinbee on the SNES. The shooter game. Not the 2D platformer. Loved it!

Would love to see that franchise rebooted. An IR top down shooter would be sommat new (with retro NES controls optional clearly).

 

I don't think an IR top down shooter would be a good idea. The slight delay you get with the pointer tracking would make the gameplay too imprecise for my taste - I need to feel completely in control and I don't think that would offer this.

 

 

I had RKA on the SNES. Although it was renamed Sparkster. Looked a ton better and had some great new animation. Would love to see this franchise back. There's not enough cartoon animals in 2D games these days!

 

Sparkster on the SNES was a completely different game to both Rocket Knight Adventures and Sparkster: Rocket knight Adventures 2 for the Mega Drive.

[Ganepark32]

It seems Bethesda Softworks are to announce a Wii game this year. And not some crappy shovelware either. It's supposedly going to be a BIG Wii game. You can read the whole story here:

 

http://kotaku.com/5258959/bethesda-announcing-wii-game-this-year

 

No mention of when they'll announce it. Perhaps at E3 but I think that that may be a little unlikely especially because that story has come out 2 weeks before E3 and they probably would have stated in it if it was going to be announced then.

 

Anyway, this doesn't warrant it's own topic yet as there's nothing to go on other than that but to get the train rolling, start guestimating as to what it could be. Go!

[Retro_Link]

It seems Bethesda Softworks are to announce a Wii game this year. And not some crappy shovelware either. It's supposedly going to be a BIG Wii game. You can read the whole story here:

 

http://kotaku.com/5258959/bethesda-announcing-wii-game-this-year

 

No mention of when they'll announce it. Perhaps at E3 but I think that that may be a little unlikely especially because that story has come out 2 weeks before E3 and they probably would have stated in it if it was going to be announced then.

 

Anyway, this doesn't warrant it's own topic yet as there's nothing to go on other than that but to get the train rolling, start guestimating as to what it could be. Go!

Hmm, wonder if this is the game IGN are teasing?

 

That could be some kind Elder Scrolls engine reworked for Wii, and what with the sword fighting and castle style backdrop.

 

Edited May 18, 2009 by Retro_Link

[D_prOdigy]

I think Nintendo's master designer has some new concoction brewing at the chocolate factory. Not just franchise sequels, but something completely out there.

 

Hopefully it doesn't turn us purple.

 

Wouldn't surprise me if it's weirder than Pikmin was...

[david.dakota]

Matt thinks Miyamoto- employed by Nintendo as a games producer- is working on a game?

 

No shit, Sherlock.

[D_prOdigy]

Matt thinks Miyamoto- employed by Nintendo as a games producer- is working on a game?

 

No shit, Sherlock.

 

I think the point was that he's working on yet another IP and not returning to one of his own franchises. Although after Pikmin, Wii Fit and Wii Music, it is probably predictable that he's always wanting to try out new things. Which might be good if it's a great game, but I want to see him put his director hat once more and go and helm a Mario or Zelda.