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This Month's NOM.


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Free Gift: Pokemon stickers (to put on Pokemon poster, also included with the mag).

 

Reviews

Pokemon Emerald (GBA) - 85%

Nintendogs (NDS) - 90%

Advance Wars: Dual Strike (NDS) - 90%

Geist (GCN) - 71%

Fifa 06 (GCN) - 74%

Sonic Gems Collection (GCN) - 52%

Rainbow Six: Lockdown (GCN) - 79%

WWE Day of Reckoning 2 (GCN) - 72%

Zooo - (GBA) 61%

Madden NFL 06 - (GCN) 83%

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (GBA) - 88%

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 (GCN) - 88%

Hello Kitty: Roller Rescue (GCN) - 68%

Gauntlet and Rampart (GBA) - 56%

Who Wants To Be A Millionare? Junior (GBA) - 8% (A game even worse than Ping Pals!)

Chicken Shoot (GBA) - 12%

NHL 2006 (GCN) - 66%

Klax and Marble Madness (GBA) - 61%

 

Previews

 

Ultimate Spider-man (GCN) - 80%+

Spartan: Total Warrior (GCN) - 80%+

Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble (GCN) - 65%+

Mario Power Tennis (GBA) - 80%+

Electroplankton (NDS) - 75%+

Snowboard Kids DS (NDS) - 60%+

Fifa 06 (NDS) - 75%+

Prince of Persia 3 (GCN) - 75%+

 

Feature: When Comic Books Attack!

 

Talks about Jump! Superstars, plus the following games:

Naruto RPG2: Chidori VS Rasengan

Naruto: Saikyo Ninja Daikesshu 3

One Piece: Grand Battle

Shaman King: Masters of Spirits 2

BoBoBo-Bo bo-BoBo: Bakuten Hajike Taisen

Dragon Ball GT - Transformation

Yu-Gi-Oh: Sugoroko No Sugoroko

And some Bleach GBA game that they didn't show the name of.

 

Also an interview with Nintendogs producer, Hideki Konno (I'll write it here later).

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Interview with Hideki Konno

 

NOM: Why did Nintendo choose to make a virtual pet game?

Hideki Konno: When Nintendo introduced the DS last year, during the course of development we came to learn DS was going to have such unique features as a duel screen, touch screen and microphone input. And of course, as a developer we were supposed to make some unique software that could take advantage of some of these aspects. At the same time, we learned one of the missions of DS was to expand the gaming population of gamers we had to have some easy to learn/play user interface and we realised we could have an enjoyable user interface with dogs.

 

NOM: Did you always plan to have dogs? Or did you think about other animals, like cats?

HK: There were many other animals considered, including cats. But the reason why we decided to make it with dogs was because, for example, we wanted to teach them tricks with our own voices. Also we wanted to include as many other fun aspects as possible, like the agility contest and the flying disc contest. So if we had dogs, we could do things like that. But, as long as I know, cats would not be able to take part in these types of events. So we discussed for a while and decided we must make the game with dogs.

 

NOM: A Pokemon version of Nintendogs would be awesome. Is that something Nintendo has ever considered?

HK: All I can say is that it might be an interesting plan.

 

NOM: Was it hard to choose the different dogs?

HK: Selecting the dogs that are loved by people around the world was not such a difficult job. In Japan we have the Kennel Association (a club for dog owners) and it has data showing how many people have which dog. But other countries also have similar clubs and organisations that gave us the same data. So it was not too difficult to decide which dogs should appear inb each version. The US and Europe have the same dogs because they are both very similar in their tastes of dogs.

 

NOM: Why do you think the game has been so popular back in Japan?

HK: From the outset, one of our goals was to make a game that would appeal to a wide range of different people, from children to old age pensioners and both sexes. I think one of the reasons for its success has been word of mouth, as people compared their experiences to someone else. Many were reporting the joy they had with Nintendogs.

 

NOM: Do you hope there will be a similar reaction in Europe?

HK: At least in Japan it has become very popular and I believe it's because people feel it's a unique and pleasant experiance. It can't hurt to have an unusual encounter with someone you don't know thanks to the Bark mode. I really hope people in the UK will feel the same way.

 

NOM: Which Nintendog do you have and what tricks can it do?

HK: As a main developer I have all versions but now I own the Chihuahua version and I'm teaching my dog special tricks, like break dancing and standing on its paws.

 

NOM: Do you wish real dogs were as easy to train?

HK: I should not really comment on that or some peple may try to train their real dogs to break dance. Which could be risky. <laughs>

 

NOM: There are so many different toys, was it fun to choose all the different ones?

HK:It was necessary for us to think of many different toys to give a variety of gaming experiences. When you are playing with the remote controlled Mario Kart you are going to have some fun. Or when you use the helicopter, it's a toy that lets you see things from the sky. Also it's a nice and almost healing atmosphere when you watch two puppies playing with a football. We wanted to make sure you have some fun with the puppies.

 

NOM: Which is your favourite?

HK: I came up with many ideas for the toys but one of my favourites is the helicopter, especially the command helicopter. When you fly it around the room it plays the music from Apocalipse Now.

 

NOM: Although there were lots of accessories in Nintendogs, your dog can only wear one at a time. Were there any plans to let them wear more?

HK: Actually yes, during the course of development we were thinking about having different items at one time. But we were concerned that it may not be possible with the DS' specifications.Also, and more importantly, we wanted the game to be as simple as possible. If thee are many different things the user is meant to do at one time, it could become confusing.

 

NOM: Were you pleased that you could have the Mario Kart as one of the toys?

HK: I am also responsible for the development for Mario Kart DS so I asked the development team to give me the model idea for the actual Mario Karts in the DS game. There are three different karts in Nintendogs, including Bowser, Mario and Peach. And they're all fun.

 

NOM: Do you think that Nintendogs would work on Gamecube or, in the future, on Revolution?

HK: Well of course but being portable is one of the most important elements for Nintendogs to be successful because you can carry it around all the time. On the other hand, it doesn't mean we can't make the console version of Nintendogs. It depends on whether or not we can make something really unique for the home console. This could be the control style or it may be something more ambiguous. But if we could have something unique it may be possible. Although if it was just a graphical improvement we could pursue with the console, then I don't think people would be satisfied and we would not want to do that.

 

NOM: Moving away from Nintendogs, what games are you playing right now?

In order to expand my own knowledge I try to play as much as possible but only when I'm in my office. Once I'm at home I like to enjoy other hobbies and don't play video games at all.

 

NOM: Are you busy developing more games at the moment, apart from Mario Kart DS?

HK: Yes, I am working on many other products as well, including Revolution related projects.

 

NOM: Can you tell us about any of those?

HK: No but please wait for Mr. Iwata to break any news in the near future.

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I know a lot of people think of anything less than eight (80%) as a bad score, but on the scale of things, 5 (50%) is average and so VJ is shaping up just above average at the moment - and plenty of time to improve yet

 

on a side note how can NOM give Fifa that kind of score - its truely awful!

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Another okay issue, but still hideously kiddy. I can live with Rayquaza on the front cover, but Pokémon stickers as the free gift? How is that supposed to attract readers, exactly?

 

By the way, they said that Viewtiful Joe might not be that great because there's too much going on at once (missions at the same time as fighting), and because it's annoying when one player uses slowdown, speedup etc, and the flow of the game is ruined for other players.

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By the way, they said that Viewtiful Joe might not be that great because there's too much going on at once (missions at the same time as fighting), and because it's annoying when one player uses slowdown, speedup etc, and the flow of the game is ruined for other players.

 

so what the hell is smash bros then?

 

anyway, i dont trust nom with previews or reviews at all now. never, not after what they said about killer 7

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Argh!

Has Tim Street actually READ what members of cube-europe forums had regarding improving the magazine?

I mean, come on Tim! How long is it now since you started that thread on cube-europe!?

We don't want Pokémon stickers for crying out loud! And other nonsense free gifts that only end up in the bin! Btw I have read MCV and their public poll, stating that females read NOM more than males. I wonder why.

As for the new Viewtiful Joe game, it's only a preview, not a final score. So we can only live in hope.

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Sprout is the article on manga any good because I might buy it for that.

I found the article a bit rubbish to be honest. Its mainly them saying how crap all of the manga games are (minus the Naruto games and Jump! Superstars).

 

Just wait, next month Nintendo have the 'ultimate' free gift next month :indeed:.

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I was gonna buy it this month but now that u say it has free pokemon stickers im gonna be imbarissed to buy it! and i cant believe viewtiful joe has such a bad score. I wonder why, the VJ games have been good so far. And its supposedly the last on eisnt it at the end of the first game captain blue says "there will be 2 more times when earth is in danger" and then at the end of viewtiful joe 2 silvia says, "there are 3 times when the earth is in danger so that means there is still one more threat!".

They werent the exact words, but they were similar to that. So what a crap way to end such a good series of games.

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I was gonna buy it this month but now that u say it has free pokemon stickers im gonna be imbarissed to buy it! and i cant believe viewtiful joe has such a bad score. I wonder why, the VJ games have been good so far. And its supposedly the last on eisnt it at the end of the first game captain blue says "there will be 2 more times when earth is in danger" and then at the end of viewtiful joe 2 silvia says, "there are 3 times when the earth is in danger so that means there is still one more threat!".

They werent the exact words, but they were similar to that. So what a crap way to end such a good series of games.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about it, this game isn't going to be released for quite a while, so they should have time to get rid of any possible problems with the game.

 

If you want, I could post the preview here.

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VIEWTIFUL JOE: RED HOT RUMBLE

Our faces were red-hot with anger and sadness after playing it.

The joypad feels useless in our hands. We're pressing the buttons. Something should happen. Yes, we're moving about but where are the attacks? We grip the pad tighter and scream at the characters to do ANYTHING. Even after playing [Red Hot Rumble[/i] for some time, we're still not sure what was going on.

 

It is the most confusing thing we've ever played on the 'Cube. Not because it's got a twisting plot, strange gameplay mechanics or crazy characters. It's because there was so much hapening at once. The game throws everything at you like a blender without the lid on.

 

We were thinking it would be a Viewtiful Joe version of Super Smash Bros. Melee and in some ways it is. After all, there are four characters on screen and they're all pounding the crap out of eachother. But then, on top of trying to beat up your opponents, you've also got to perform certain missions. Like beating up a boss, entering an open door or collecting gems. This would be hard enough without everyone trying to punch you.

 

But then, as if all this wasn't enough, the game throws another confusing element at you. Along with all the missions and face kicking, all the characters can perform the signature special moves from the normal Viewtiful Joe games. So all of a sudden, one character, normally not us, would slow things down or speed them up, to create even more panic. Madness. When you've got four players, this kind of thing is happening all the time, rendering tactics almost imposible.

 

Okay, so we only played a demo of the game but we were hoping for something a lot better than this. We expected a cool four-player fighting game but what we actually got was a confusing mess that made no sense. Perhaps the demo was just trying to show everything off at once, instead of just demonstrating the fighting. We hope things will improve drastically in the finished version.

 

Rob Burman

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