A new Super Mario Galaxy 2 trailer showcases one new power for both Mario and Yoshi. New features always get people excited, don't they? Galaxy 2 is going to be jam-packed.
Here's the trailer in question:
Some returning levels? Well, not all the worlds in Mario Galaxy 2 are all-new, I see the Honeycomb Galaxy(the one where you have to keep climbing). Based on Nintendo, 90% of the levels will be all-new, so this is probably part of the remaining 10%
You know something's amiss when Nintendo announces something that would potentially cause damage to its profits. By announcing the 3DS right before the US launch of the DSi XL, it's probably safe to bet how many less units of the gianormous DS remake would sell like because of the announcement. But the weird timing of the announcement wasn't because of Nintendo, no, it was because Japanese journalists had seemingly already known about the console and was going to leak the info, but Nintendo stopped them by announcing it itself.
Journalists: I know all your secrets and I'm going to leak them!
Nintendo: Not if I leak them first!
Written by pikaby
The Nintendo 3DS' functionality as illustrated by cardboard. Is that a camera? It's not going to be the exact same one as the DSi, is it? And how the heck do you touch things that look like they're floating in midair with the stylus? 3DS is a pop-up children's book, haha. Love this ad.
If you've played a Pokemon game, you know how important the type matchups are. Dealing super effective hits are key to winning battles fast, and taking down all the type-specific Gym Leaders with them. Some make perfect sense, like why is fire weak to water? Duh, water puts out fire. Why is Rock weak to grass? Plants absorb nutrients from the soil, and drain both rocks and the ground.
Others...meh, not so much. Comment or something if you can enlighten me on how these type alignments actually work.
A new casual Mii-filled game by Nintendo isn't out-of-the-ordinary, but the concept sure is- the game, called 'And Kensaku' in Japan, allows players to guess, from over 10,000 Google search terms, which one is the most popular of the lot. You can download additional Google data over Wi-fi as trends change. Will be released on April 29 in Japan at a budget price.
Google in games? It sure is taking over the world bit by bit isn't it?
This blog is powered by Google and will be shut down if you say anything against Google.
Scans of Mario Galaxy 2, from the weekly Famitsu magazine(well, that looks like Famitsu, can't imagine any other magazine with that design).
This is the first scan, basically showing off the screens that were already in the trailer and the main crowd-puller this time being the addition of Yoshi.
Second scan, which is mostly on the new moves you can pull off while riding Yoshi, which includes Dash Yoshi (red one), Balloon Yoshi (blue one). Yoshi can eat things and catch on to hooks using his tongue. It's Mario's answer to Zelda's Hookshot and Metroid's Grapple Beam. Maybe.
Yoshi also hover jumps, spit things out to injure enemies.....what the heck, this is Yoshi we're talking about. Obvious much?
Third scan, showcasing Mario's new moves and screens of some of the new stages. You've probably seen the drill in the early trailers, and Star Pieces make a return(sure hope the Hungry Lumas come back too, how else are you going to unlock secret stages?). Giant Luma is awesome.
Sega/High Voltage Software ain't giving up. After the less than stellar The Conduit, they decided to improve on it and make a sequel. Now that's good sportsmanship- unlike many other sore loser developers who cancel their love affair with the Wii the moment their 'new games with waggle tacked on' bombs in sales.
Lots of new info for fans of the first one, and expect a big, big list of improvements over the first game, which can be found here. I'll pull some of them out for this blog, so:
- Team says the first game had the player doing "the same thing over and over and over again" - Want to do more with level design, gameplay design - Embracing sci-fi element - Game will have some "big vistas and multi-tiered areas" - Multiple paths, team wants the game "to feel bigger and give players the sense that there's more going on"
- Game has an airborne chase scene, take control of a ship's rear gun
emplacement, shoot pursuers (one enemy type is jet pack-equipped
soldiers) - More NPCs, Ford can interact with them - Some freedom in terms of which stage you'll take on next - More alien growth in the city than in the first game, Drudge and Trust still fighting there
- "The AI in particular has been a big focus for us. We really want the
enemies to come across as intelligent. In the first game, they just sit
there waiting for you to show up. This time, we want it to feel like a
living environment, like everyone was doing something before you got
there." - Interactive elements in the environment (stuff moves, objects break, enemy knocks over soda machine for cover)
- Regarding the AsE(that floating sphere in the first game): "…more puzzles and hacking minigames. It's also a
bit more of a detective tool now, we're trying to put a lot more
conspiracy objects and secrets in the environments to give you more
reasons to use the ASE. Once you've scanned an object, you'll be able
to learn more about it in the game's new data log. So it really plays
into us trying to tell a deeper story." - 12 players online
On my wishlist right now? A longer story mode, better graphics (come on, after seeing what Metroid Other M can do there's practically no excuse), and actual workable online. Hopefully that shows up in the final product.
The gaming world coming to a standstill, content with just three consoles and not having any more new ones, that's the prediction made by analyst Tim Merel.
What he is basically saying is that the video game industry has grown so big, and the consoles so advanced that the cost of making one game would be huge, and publishers would be forced to make 'fewer, bigger, faster' games, most likely sequel, after sequel of a traditional game series...Innovation would be left aside because of the high risk involved.
He also continued that the downloadable game sector is accelerating. Quoted from him:
"Downloadable content (as with Valve’s Steam) and actual delivery of
PS3/Xbox360 quality games via broadband without a console (as with the
anticipated OnLive launch) are challenging traditional game
distribution and console hardware platforms. There are concerns about
bandwidth requirements and usage restrictions, but increasing broadband
speeds in developed markets should address these in the medium term. So
while it appears that there should be an 8th console cycle starting in
2013-14, there are now question marks over whether there will be a
9th console cycle at all. If the next console cycle is the last, it
would create potentially significant long term issues for Sony,
Microsoft, Nintendo and GameStop amongst others.”
I don't know about you, but I like to buy my games rather than download them off the internet. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but true gaming consoles are the way to go. And if Nintendo is any indication, they'll just keep on innovating with new ways of playing games, and thus make new consoles every time this happens. Take that, last console cycle.
Think the gaming world as we know it is ending? Discuss it here
On March 2010, a game that was shamed for being too ambitious, which resulted in sloppy controls, returns to the Wii gaming scene with a vengeance. And armed with Wii Motion Plus. None other than Red Steel, which has desperately tried to redeem itself by convincing us that it's still trying to be a good game.
A temperature map of Saturn's moon, Mimos, by NASA reveals something that looks like Pac-Man up there, about to eat a power pellet. Freaking awesome discovery? You bet.
Original article on Gizmodo, along with some astronomy science technical language that I won't delve into here.
This thing does whatever it says on the tin- it's a metronome, which means it keeps track of music tempo. You can make your own sounds for it by clapping you hands to the beat, and there's Donkey Kong in it. Will be out in Japan by the time you read this, and has about as much purpose as the Mario Calculator and Animal Crossing Clock. Like all the near-pointless apps before it, Donkey Kong Metronome costs a measly 200 Nintendo Points.
3 simple forum games going on at N5S to keep things fun! There are no prizes for these, but at least there are some things that'll keep everyone entertained while on the forums.
An RP(role-play) game made by Destiny_Guy. If you already know what an RP is you can sign up right away here, but in case you don't I'll give you a quick rundown. You make a character and play their roles in a story set by the GM(game master). It's like playing an RPG, only text-based and inside a forum. Destiny Guy will be keeping track of your progress, your leveling up and stats, and your money. All you have to do, is carry out your actions, and play!
See title above. I made this game because half of our active members comprise of Pokemon fans. If you're one too, be sure to check out my riddles and try to answer them! Even if someone gets to the answer before you, just sound off and I'll give out the correct answer shortly. New questions are still being added on a regular basis, with hints if you get stuck, so check this one out.
Started off as a random 'attack this thing' game on the Random board, but proved so popular it had to be moved up to be a N5S regular activity. Any attack, anything you can think of, just throw some hurt on the mysterious Mechachick(who, by the way, I still don't know what he looks like). Be creative! Made by forum member Crossburn.
As of press time I've gotten a copy of Red Steel 2 (finally), and my hands-on report on it will come after I've had some real time with the game. And finish up whatever I have left to do...all those Pokemon games kinda wore me down a bit, haha.
From the opening cutscene so far it looks very slick and the graphics are clean and polished. I have to say there probably aren't many Wii games that look better than it. Sword is controlled with the Motion Plus, and while not as accurate as Wii Sports Resort, it still works like a charm. And gunslinging is fun. Ratting out trash cans and bottles for money(who the hell are these rich bastards stuffing money everywhere?) is even more fun, and you'll be needing a lot of cash.
No doubt you guys in every other region other than Japan missed the slots as Nintendo cut them out and replaced with something similar. It's good, but here's what it would look like if the slots were still there. Played on a Japanese copy of Pokemon Soul Silver.
They look the same and control the same, but the difference is in Smeargle over there up top. His mood changes based on whether you're being lucky or keep on getting duds(hey, don't get angry, it's not OUR fault the slots made us lose!). When Smeargle's angry there's a higher chance you'll end up with small payouts or a Replay. When Smeargle's happy you'll have a higher chance of getting the big ones, like a triple-7. If you make him mad his mood shuffles and for some reason he turns happy again(what a weird and abrupt emotional change...I wouldn't want that obsessive-compulsive Smeargle in my party).
If you line up Pokeballs or Triple-7s, a bonus game begins and you have like 15 rounds of lining up a starter Pokemon's portrait perfectly. The slots rotate in different directions, line themselves up, go crazy fast, it's tense and good fun for a while. And the payout here is good, starting from 20 coins and slowly going up and you get more correctly lined up portraits. Definitely less boring than Sinnoh's own slots.
Hey Pokemon Trainers, remember this thing? It's the Vs. Seeker, which is by far the most convenient way of getting rematches in Pokemon. And Nintendo removed it for Pokemon Heart Gold/ Soul Silver. How's a Trainer to...well...train? Training spots are especially scarce right before you fight the Elite Four, if you can't beat them it's very, very tough to grind on Wild Pokemon and not have a single Trainer to battle....except for the occasional hourly phone call(though things have somewhat improved).
Nintendo handhelds have always been great. The Nintendo DS is my favorite of all Nintendo's creations. And other than iPods and phones, portable game systems are the highest selling portable devices in the world. Nintendo has made more handheld systems than any other gaming company. I've had at least two models of each system...
Warioware D.I.Y. may be out today but it's already been out in Japan for some time. Let's give a tribute to some of the masterpieces they've made...If you want, just type in(or copy off here) 'メイドイン俺' into Youtube's search box and you'll find a lot of great/decent microgames. But watch out...whenever user-generated content is concerned there's SURE to be um....games with more suggestive themes in them. Look, you can find out for yourself, but right now here's some of the microgames I've been impressed with.
Today is the day the Nintendo DSi XL will hit store shelves. Great timing, Nintendo. With the DSi released just last year and the 3DS set to storm the world next year, this gigantic FOURTH make of the iconic Nintendo DS is sandwiched in between...Is it really necessary to get it when either 1) You've just upgraded to a DSi, or 2) a brand new handheld is just around the corner? It just makes you feel ripped off, doesn't it? DSi XL's position right now, in my opinion, is equivalent to that of the Game Boy Micro right after the GBA SP and before the original DS was released, only it's the exact opposite in terms of size.
So many things to say.....where do I start first. I guess I'll quote whatever Miyamoto said on the issue.
“We want players to focus on the joy of the action instead of getting to each game course. We wanted to make it as accessible as possible and as easy as possible for the players. Also because we’re going to incorporate a number of different stars and conquering all the stars is going to be one of the most challenging missions for the player, we want them to understand as easy as possible where they should go next and which places they should go back to in order to get access to the remaining stars.”
The Pokemon Ranger spin-off series started out as an innovative, new way to experience Pokemon, by connecting with them emotionally and capturing them for single-use only in your party. More environmentally friendly than, say, trapping them in small balls. The original Ranger was rough on the edges, and its sequels have continuously added new features and ironed out its flaws one by one. Tracks of Light again tweaks the Ranger formula for the better, but like its own predecessor, Shadows of Almia, still leaves out a few inconsistencies that haven't been fully resolved.
Now that Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver have been out for at least a week and some of us over at Nintendo 5-Star have already gotten the game and settled down with it, we'd like to share our Pokemon teams.
'Well, I think any entertainment products are less susceptible to changes in the economy. The fact that in 2009 we were not able to sell more than we did in 2008 was simply that in comparison, we were not able to produce fun-enough products. There are always ups and downs in this business. As long as we create unique and unprecedented experiences with video games, there should be nothing to worry about.'
You probably think so, Miyamoto, but I think most of us are on the fact that 2009 was a better year. You think Wii Fit and Animal Crossing: City Folk was fun, and to some extent, they are. But they're more geared to the casual crowd more than anything else.
In 2009, we had Punch-Out!!, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and Metroid Prime Trilogy. Lots of good 3rd party offerings too, more than in 2008. I'll let you weigh the amount of dust that gathered on my Wii in 2008 and in 2009. I think the dust in 2009 weighs less.
You may remember Super Monkey Ball on the Nintendo GameCube as one of the most brutally difficult games to clear of all time...teetering your chimp in a ball over extremely narrow paths with no rails, sudden sharp turns and slopes to reach a goal point. All the stages had to be cleared with only a handful of lives and the opportunity to get extra ones are also very limited. Now those were the days when Monkey Ball was genuinely fun. The included minigames are just an afterthought. Even its little GBA cousin, Super Monkey Ball Jr.(which I actually played all the way past Advanced mode, smooth) was frustratingly hard.
Nearly six years after launching in Japan, the DS has reached 30 million units sold(combined sales of DS Phat, DS Lite and DSi) while the top selling games are New Super Mario Bros., Pokemon Diamond/Pearl and Animal Crossing: Wild World. I bet Nintendogs and Brain Age are somewhere right below them too.
Global sales of the DS is more than 125 million units sold, which I reckon is just 15 million or so shy of the PS2's lifetime sales. Go catch up! Just a little more!
I remember being late to the party when I got the secret Pokemon Box wallpapers for Pokemon Pearl about 2 years after playing the game....it sure didn't help me play Pearl for a lot longer.....but I won't miss out this time! And neither should you!
There are secret box wallpapers for Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, another set for Platinum, anda brand new set of eight for Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver! Use the following tool (thanks to the creator...whoever it is!)
Using this handy app here, punch in your Trainer ID and the version of Pokemon you're playing, together with your region. It will generate a list of words you need to say to a certain person hanging out in Violet City's Pokemon Center. Once you say them you get special Pokemon box wallpapers otherwise exclusive to the Daisuki club. There are also secret Pokemon Egg commands, but currently only for Japanese HG/SS.
The eight wallpapers are as follows:
Fur US copies, only the first one can be unlocked at the moment but keep looking out! filb.de will be revealing codes for the second one soon, on March 26th(that's the Spiky-Ear Pichu one).
In anticipation of the upcoming Warioware D.I.Y, Nintendo have begun getting game developers to make microgames for their download system. It's called 'Big Name Games' or something. Kinda like the Flipnote Central in Hatena where celebrities and the like make their own (crappy) flipnotes. Some of them were good, others were just the same old stuff with a name tacked onto it....But enough about that.
The Big Name Games will be available for download as soon as the game is out, and currently will include microgames from studs like Masahiro Sakurai(of Kirby and Smash Bros. fame), Yoshio Sakamoto(from Metroid), and the bods from 5th Cell, WayForward Games, Pixel, Gaijin Games, and Team Meat.
Come on, Sakurai! Give us a Kirby microgame or something.
In light of that I do hope I'll see the other studios come up with microgame versions of their good games. Nintendo made a load of good picks, those are my favorite developers right now. Bit.trip Microgame!
Katsura Hashino, director of Persona 3 and 4 and the man responsible for the social link system in those games, has revealed that they are "preparing to start work on the next Persona." In an interview, Hashino stated "I want to add things that are being expected of the series, [but] I also want to change things that can be changed within those boundaries." Atlus at one point listed Shoji Meguro, composer for the previous two Persona games and so much more, as the producer. They have previously stated that when they do make the game, it will be for PS3.
So the time has finally come and Nintendo announced to the world what their next dual-screened handheld is capable of. And mixed reactions started to come in almost immediately....But first off, to dispel the myth, 3DS is not a DS remake. If it turns out to have its own set of games that the other DS models cannot play, then it's a brand new console.
Responding almost immediately was industry rival Sony, who think playing in 3D is 'a stretch'. They say they want to focus on 3D in the home console market, on their PS3, and that their research shows not many 8 to 9 year olds play in 3D.
Them's fighting words, Sony. Next thing you know their next PSP console will also feature similar things to the 3DS, if it turns out to wow everyone at whatever event Nintendo are going to reveal it. Not so, Sony says. But we'll just wait and see then.
Feedback from analysts questioned the logic behind announcing the 3DS right before the DSi XL was about to be released in the US. Surely this will hurt sales of the gigantic DSi? The 3DS and 3D gaming could have mass appeal, but only if done right. Many people are still optimistic about the 3DS. It's sure to make waves when the first prototype casing ans debut games are shown.
Me? Put Nintendo and 3D in the same sentence and I think about the Virtual Boy. Of course I know the 3DS is nothing like that fail pair of oversized goggles and games in four shades of eye-searing red, but I can't shake that feeling off. Maybe I could get more excited when I see the console for real. 3D without the use of dorky-looking 3D glasses? New games and better graphics? Same touch control plus added motion-tilting stuff? Bring. It. On.
Have you used the photo album in Pokemon Heart Gold/ Soul Silver? I sure hope you have, cause there are some photos which are hard to come by, such as the ones from Gym Leaders. Here's a complete list of when and where they will show up to take a picture with you:
Falkner - Wednesday, all times, Celadon Department Store, register number first.
Bugsy - Friday, all times, National Park. (though I think I've seen him on Wednesday too, can't be sure. It's always the day before the Bug-Catching Contest)
Whitney - Every day, 6pm to 9 pm, Goldenrod Department Store, register number first.
Morty - Friday, all times, path to Tin Tower, register number first.
Chuck - Sunday, all times, Route 47 above waterfall. Will no longer be photographed after Jade Orb is obtained.
Jasmine - Every day, 12pm to 1 pm, Olivine Cafeteria, register number first.
Pryce - Every day, all times, Mahogany Gym. (what a convenient old man)
Clair - Every day, 5pm to 7pm, Dragon's Den, register number first.
Brock - Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, 5pm to 9pm, Diglett's Cave (Pewter City entrance), register number first.
Misty - Every day, 2pm to 4pm, end of Route 25, register number first and must have a Water Pokemon as partner.
Lt. Surge - Saturday, all times, Moomoo Farm, register number and must have traded Pikachu with him (done at Saffron City, in the train station)
Erika - Monday, all times, Celadon City in front of the fountain, register number first.
Janine - Every day, 6pm to 8pm, Victory Road entrance, register number first.
Sabrina - Monday, all times, Olivine Port S.S. Aqua boarding bay, register number first.
Blaine - Thursday, all times, Cinnabar Island, register number first.
Green - Friday, all times, Cinnabar Island, must have beaten Red first.
In every Pokemon game, there's been a game corner. These would have slots we could play and in G/S/C and R/S/E, a roulette/poker combination. We've enjoyed their subtle hints. I myself have stayed up for hours playing the Celadon Slots in Pokemon FireRed. But HeartGold and SoulSilver have done something. They've entirely revamped it!
Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Minami-ward of Kyoto-city, President Satoru Iwata) will launch "Nintendo 3DS"(temp) during the fiscal year ending March 2011, on which games can be enjoyed with 3D effects without the need for any special glasses. "Nintendo 3DS"(temp) is going to be the new portable game machine to succeed "Nintendo DS series", whose cumulative consolidated sales from Nintendo amounted to 125million units as of the end of December 2009, and will include backward compatibility so that the software for Nintendo DS series, including the ones for Nintendo DSi, can also be enjoyed. We are planning to announce additional details at E3 show, which is scheduled to be held from June 15, 2010 at Los Angeles in the U.S. In addition to being fully playable at E3, it is rumored to feature built in rumble support, as well as a joystick instead of a D-Pad. It has also been confirmed to have GCN quality visuals, at the very minimum. Could the next installment of the Pokemon series be headed here? Stay tuned!
“Whenever we are going to use any new device it is possible to expand the appeal to those who are new to the videogaming world. At the same time, however, it is also fun to think of ways in which we might apply that new technology to existing forms of gameplay – just like the way we are working on the new Legend Of Zelda together with Wii Motion Plus. As you become more scared, the enemies become even tougher. So maybe you might like to ask me to incorporate the Vitality Sensor into Zelda so that as you become more scared, the enemies become even tougher.” – Shigeru Miyamoto
Gee, I appreciate innovation, but again, I don't see how the Vitality Sensor can help. If the game works out exactly like what Miyamoto said, the Vitality Sensor would be COMPULSORY to play the game. And that doesn't sound good (unless of course the sensor came bundled together with Zelda Wii). Hopefully there's some way we can play without the use of the sensor.
Or, what if we removed our finger, by accident or otherwise, from the sensor while we are playing? And where does the sensor attach to, with the Motion Plus and Nunchuk attached to the Wiimote's sole accessory slot?
Compulsory Motion Plus is less of a problem nowadays, with Wii Sports Resort and all, so I'm not going to delve into that.
Thanks to CRAZ1ah for the tip-off. Nintendo's new handheld will also have two screens like the DS and DSi, but both screens are now 3D, without the need for the use of 3D glasses. How this will be achieved, I don't know, but hopefully we'll be getting better graphics and the works.
3DS will be backwards-compatible with all DS games and will probably be released early in 2011.
If you didn't know that Cave Story Wii came out today, well, you should be ashamed of yourself. But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. It's in english and costs 1,200 Wii points ($12). Before I go on, this is an article for people who played the original Cave Story already. I love Cave Story, and I couldn't possibly recomend it enough, but this is not a review of the game for newcomers. This article is only about the changes to the original in this new version. Grab your Polar Star, and let's get started.
The release date is today, March 22! Official website at nintendo.com for the Wiiware version. Okay, so it's March 22 here and not yet in the US, so at the time of blogging I don't know how many Wii Points it will cost, but that might change in the next few hours.
In Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver, you can now have a Pokemon walk behind you at all times. Yep, ANY Pokemon. Beats the Amity Square any day, and Pokemon can still pick up accessories for you. Larger Pokemon like the legendaries won't be able to follow you indoors, for obvious reasons, and Pokemon won't follow you if you're Surfing or on your Bike, but everyone knows that, right?
Subtlety is introduced by all the different interactions you can have with your Pokemon while it's following ever so closely behind you. And these interactions can differ by place.
'Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery'. This seems to be Sega's mantra when it comes to developing new games for the Wii. Some of their big releases has seen them take out more than just a page off of ideas from other games from other publishers. The examples I'll show below may be multiplatform too.
Seems the Japanese were about as excited about Pokemon Ranger 3 as I am myself. On the week it was first released, that was on March 1-7, Pokemon Ranger: Tracks of Light sold 160,532 copies. And since the game was released on March 6th, that makes it the sales figures for two days. Considering how Ranger is always the second banana to the main line of Pokemon RPGs, that's quite some impressive stuff.
Pokemon Ranger 3 continues its dominance into the 2nd week, again topping off the top ten in the sales charts by selling 65,355 copies(although to me, that comes as a bit subdued, but it happens, right?). It hasn't pulled Nintendo's hardware sales back to the top, but no one expected it to do that either. That heavy responsibility falls on another game(I'm looking at you, Mario Galaxy 2).
Figures brought in from Media Create. And before you ask, these are Japanese sales figures. Can't believe I didn't mention that at the beginning.
Top ten in software this week:
1) Pokemon Ranger: Hikari no Kiseki 65,355
2) Tomodachi Collection 35,993
3) New Super Mario Bros. Wii 34,795
4) What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!? 3D 33,920
5) Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce 2 31,674
6) Zettai Hero: Modification Plan 31,447
7) Battlefield: Bad Company 2 28,353
8) RPG Maker DS 23,766
9) Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (Ultimate Hits) 22,013
10) Wii Fit Plus 21,085
In January, we proposed that we make a mascot for Nintendo 5-Star. It had to be cute because, that's what most mascots are, right? I had a rough time trying to find a good design for our mascot that doesn't just involve a star with eyes and blushy cheeks...The other major problem was a name for it.
In the beginning I had envisioned the whole mascot being based around stars and the letter 'V'. Or should that be the number 'V'? 'V' in this context would symbolize the Roman numeral for 5, thus representing our '5-Star' schtick pretty well. I wanted the color of the mascot to be something other than yellow....but I caved in anyway at the end. Yellow seemed the perfect choice anyway.
So, introducing Nintendo 5-Star's new mascot! His name is simply....V! (yeah, pretty good job in solving the naming conundrum, I know. /sarcasm)
So we get a round, soft puffball instead of a star with a face on it....I drew my inspiration from Kirby, mostly. At first I didn't want V to have feet, more of like stubs at the end instead, but that looked pretty awful on paper so I dropped that.
V's purpose around the site, for now, will be to show himself all around the blog and FAQ of our site. Let's make N5S a great one together, V~!
(note: Forum insiders have begun to call him V-kun. See this topic for more about V.)
If this isn't music to Nintendo fans' ears, I don't know what is. After the initial anticipation for Nintendo's holy trinity of franchises, that is Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid Other M and the as yet untitled new Zelda Wii, we look set to have yet another bonus game to add to the Wii's already stellar 2010 lineup.
Miyamoto revealed that work on Pikmin 3 is now in progress too. He dropped word of it in London while he was up to pick up his BAFTA award. Finally, confirmation of the game! Hopefully we'll see more this E3.....
....Wait, whaddaya mean it may or may not be released in 2010?
Well this was a pretty revealing bit. Nothing of the sort would come to light if this was ten years ago. The following is an excerpt from the interview.
---
Nakago: And I’ve got something even more interesting today. This is the first dungeon map ever created for Zelda.
Tezuka: Basically, we were going to make lots of dungeons using one square per room, and lay them out like a jigsaw puzzle.
Iwata: In order to fit in as many dungeons as possible given the limited memory, you were making them like you were doing a puzzle.
Well aren't I slow. I've only begun to really get into the game, I'm about 20 hours in. Here's two more things I found interesting in the game.
Ukulele Pichu's upgrades
From the beginning of the game, Ukulele Pichu's assist can be upgraded once, twice, three times, each time the tune getting longer and Pichu playing more frantically. And then the finale! A giant bolt of paralyzing lightning!
After a rather late mission towards the end of the game, you FINALLY get your hands on Latios and its Ranger Sign, which looks a lot like a paper plane with two loose ends(don't ask, that's what I thought it looked like). Latios has its own Pokeassist in the sky too, and it flies faster than your regular ride. Think of Staraptor as your old car, and Latios is the shiny new Porsche. It needs better suspension though, Staraptor can turn better than Latios.
Looks like someone got the game early(these videos don't belong to anyone in N5S, I'm just linking to them). Don't ask me how though, but anyway, here's first dibs on how Red Steel 2 will play out. So far, so good, looks very clean. Motion Plus is a bonus too. If you want the game yourself, we're all going to have to wait till the end of this month to get it.
RS2 should be able to address all the problems of the first one....or so I hope, haha.
Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse(or its Japanese title, Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen) was never released outside of Japan, right? Lazy people at Nintendo...according to Wikipedia it was the best sold game in the series so why did they decide not to translate it? I don't see any good reason, do you?
Well, never mind that, a group of fans have found a way to patch the Japanese disc with full English text. Yes, the unthinkable has happened, and this patch doesn't use any of the Wii's current homebrew hacks. All you have to do is download the patch (Google it!), store it on an SD card and run the game. The patch will fool the Wii into thinking all the English text is being read from the game disc. It even bypasses the region lock!
Music to the fans' ears, but imagine what this trick could be used for in future games *wants Pokepark Wii to be patched in English*
In Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, as well as Gold, Silver and Crystal, there were parts of the Ruins Of Alph where the Unown would appear on the floors. These would cause a big mystery around the ruins. I've been nice enough for all of you do visit the ruins and decipher each message in each room. They have no meaning or help to the game or plot, so these are purely for those who are curious or too lazy to explore the ruins themselves.
Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver were released earlier today, and I've been told I have to review it. Well, let's go back to Johto and relive the magic!
If you've already played Pokemon Gold, Silver or Crystal, this is virtually the same game, but upgraded in trons of new ways. Let's roll ourselves in, stock up on Poke Balls and Potions, and start our quest!
By the time you're reading this it'll be the official release date of Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver in the US! And yes of course I know some of you got it early before the March 14 date, so I'm really jealous of you all lucky chaps (not :P).
Anyway for those of you still without copies of the new Pokemon, I'll do a small feature on some of the new areas you'll be visiting in Johto. You might have seen some of my shots before, even.
This links to the screenshots of the two entirely new routes to the west of Johto, Routes 47 and 48. They are accessed through Cianwood City, through a new cave opening.
Another video showing where the Pokeathlon Dome is. It's also around the Goldenrod area, but right above it and next to the National Park counter. Trust me, Pokeathlon is more fun than you could imagine.
Have fun with the Johto remakes~! I'll continue on my JP copy until I get it in English.
Inside the last chapter of a very obscure Japanese-only Nintendo-made Tingle game(you don't see those too often), there's a reference to the not-so-obscure Samus' Morph Ball ability and the famous Metroid tune. Nintendo squirrels away the best bits of gaming far away from us sometimes.
Tingle no Koi no Balloon Trip is by no means a bad game either- if you have the chance I recommend an import.
Those with DSi's should know the Flipnote Studio, and you've probably downloaded it (if you haven't, go do it now) and messed around with the tools. I've made two crappy flipnotes already and uploaded both to Flipnote Hatena (GIVE ME STAAARRSSS)
Okay to be honest most flipnotes on Hatena are either clones of one another or tons of lame pleas for stars. There were two which kept coming up more than any other. One was a static picture with KFC's Colonel Sanders plastered on it, repeatedly saying 'Give me stars and I'll give you chicken'. Star beggars usually don't get far though, and to truly shine in Hatena you'd do well to make a really good, creative flipnote. Here are five of my favorites.
The time travel and multiplayer components of Pokemon Ranger: Tracks of Light are actually very closely related, because all the multiplayer missions take place in a temple in the past world(which will be revealed to you through multiple trips in the story). Once you've passed a certain point in the storyline, you can go back there anytime by touching the rock slab in Rainbow Island.
Below is the main hub room for the past world. In it you can go into the temple or change.level up your partner Pokemon. Ukulele Pichu cannot follow you, and you have your own sets of partners in that world. You start out with a Piplup and you gain more by completing missions.
The top screen is different...Your Styler level is reset for the past world, and your partners' power and recovery speed can be upgraded by using AP, another set of points different from Ranger Points. You gain them for each successful capture in missions and for completing it.
The tasks in each mission are simple at first...you capture a set number of Pokemon, or certain species of Pokemon and defeat a boss in a set time limit....Along the way you can break chests to gain extra time/Styler energy/ other powerups most multiplayer games have as standard items. Of course, I'd imagine with 4 people playing it'll be a race to see who gets the mission done first, and based off official trailers, you can help your partners capture Pokemon together. Below, screens of a mission, and the top screen while you're playing. The green boxes are treasure chests, and the red box is where you're headed(to beat the boss) after you've completed a task.
And then after that it's boss time.
After capturing the boss Pokemon you get your mission rank and probably a new unlocked partner. If you've captured certain species of Pokemon, rock slabs in the present world bearing that Pokemon's picture will break, opening up new paths.
By completing the multiplayer missions(you can do them solo if you want), you're rewarded when you go back. For instance, the rock slab thing I mentioned earlier, but more importantly, you get Celebi's Ranger Sign, which you can use at any time to summon the partner you had in the past world, any one of them! Cool feature there. Video for details.
The Pokemon Ranger series advances rapidly with each game in the series(well, like most good games then). Here are some of the good new features that weren't in previous Ranger games, that I've found out so far.
PokeAssists no longer involve your Capture Line. Instead, the Pokemon itself will come out and attack for you, and once it's been used, it doesn't get released, but instead goes back to your party to recharge. It gets released if it's hit by an enemy move.Video for details.
Ranger Signs. These let you summon certain Pokemon by drawing a one-stroke line on the touch screen, such as Raikou and Entei. You can ride on them and go faster, eliminating the need for Doduo to exist (hah!). Video for details.
Ranger Points. While the previous games gave you more space for your captured Pokemon, increased partner gauges and Styler charge as rewards for completing missions, Tracks of Light takes a different approach. For completing missions and quests you get Ranger Points. These can be traded in for more HP, Power, line length and so on. Much more flexible. Oh, and you get to hold 7 Pokemon right off the bat. Also eliminates the need for Ranger Ranks.
Clearing obstacles may require more than one Pokemon. Example picture below.....sometimes things may need the assistance of more than one Pokemon. Like the example, to clear out a large fire, you need 3 Pokemon with the Water Field Ability, and each one must be at least power level 2.
Pokemon with Angry status. Sometimes a Pokemon will start out or gain a red health bar while you're trying to capture it (example picture below). Especially when the Pokemon Nappers are involved. The red bar renderes your Styler almost useless against it- you have to use PokeAssists or Ukulele Pichu to finish off the red bar. Or if you're pro enough, keep looping around the Pokemon with your line. You deal about 10% of damage of what you can usually do with a regular loop, which is very much reduced. And this makes bosses a bigger pain in the ass.
Loop combo increases damage done. Pokemon Ranger 1 focused solely on consecutive loops to capture a Pokemon. Ranger 2 focused on getting the Pokemon's HP bar to zero. Ranger 3 melds both systems together perfectly. You still work on getting a HP bar to zero, but the game rewards you by increasing your damage done every 5 consecutive loops you make, up to 50. Very nice.
Stricter bonus points system for capture. You know, the extra points you get for getting no damage done to your styler, capturing quickly and with only one line, that sort of thing. Now those bonuses no longer add to your EXP, but instead add to your grade only. No bonus points = C rank, 1-4 points= B rank, 5-9 points = A rank, and 10+ points = S rank. For each S rank you get1 Ranger Point. And trust me, S isn't as easy to get anymore.
And that's about all I found out in my first six hours with the game. Again, I'll keep everyone posted as I play more~!
I got the game early! Really, I can't wait to play it, so here's my hands-on report. I'll cover my first hour with the game itself! Well, this Pokemon Ranger, from the very beginning, looks like it has improved a lot over its previous attempts, but still maintains the core gameplay. Anyway, on to my log. Click 'Read More', please~! It's tons of pictures and videos I took while playing!
00.00 I turn it on, see the regular opening stuff. Wow, 3D ocean! And then in come Latios and Latias flying in towards the distance. You can see the land of Oblivia and listen to the familiar Ranger opening theme, albeit slightly rejigged again.
00.01 I'm given the option to either start the game, or go to the Ranger Net. There are online missions for downloading right off the bat, but I'll leave them for now and start the game proper. I choose my gender. 00.02 The opening cutscene begins with a chase in the sky in 3D. Some shady-looking guys are pursuing a Latios. You ride a Staraptor and end their plot. They send a Pidgey to attack you, but like the Ranger you are, you capture it right away. They think you're a Ranger, but because of your yellow scarf not being uniform in Oblivia, they hesitate first(nearly everyone in the early game thinks that way too). Next was dodging their attacks. 00.04 Oh? My lady partner comes in to help! But then their leader comes in and shoots me out of the sky. I plunge into the ocean and drop my Styler. A Mantyke decides to play with it and I give chase. This minigame thing is swell. Hopefully I can do it more than just once~. 00.06 The cutscene where the shady guys arrive in flying machines and kidnap Pokemon with their beams. All of Ukulele Pichu's friends were taken, and it looks more than upset. 00.08 Flashback to the Fiore Region, in the Ranger Union. Apparently I was given a special mission to go to the islands of Oblivia to take down an evil team called the Pokemon Nappers. 00.10 I end up on a beach and save my game. Some old guy called Booker shows up and introduces me to Drop Island, where I am right now. I capture my first Pokemon outside of the Pidgey. It was a Wingull. Ukulele Pichu thought I was one of the bad guys and attacked me (wait little guy, I'm a ****ing RANGER goddammit, Capture On!) 00.12 Lots of cute Pokemon around (XD). In no time I had racked up about 6. The top screen looks different too.(and this was where I finally decided to start talking screenshots) 00.13 First Pokemon field ability used to cut a log blocking the road. Obvious. 00.15 I captured an Ursaring, which was used to push ol' Booker's boat into the water. Apparently he knows Ukulele Pichu very well. It decided to follow the both of us to Rainbow Island, where there was a town, and where Booker lives. Pichu wants to save its friends. Main title appears. 00.18 I go into Booker's house. Ukulele Pichu notices the Nappers pass by and gives chase angrily(psh, children). Once the lot notices Pichu's absence, I was to go to the nearby forest to find Pichu and find out what the Nappers were up to. 00.21 Apparently the semi-3D graphic thing was a trick, it looks 3D, but everything still scrolls by on a 2D plane. Still a nice trick though. I also notice the absence of a Ranger Rank- probably because there aren't any Ranger Unions around Oblivia. As far as I can see. You can carry 7 Pokemon with you right off the bat, no more limits. 00.26 I pass the forest into a cave. Bumped into Pichu going nuts around the Nappers again. 00.29 Finally decided to try my hand at a PokeAssist. The system has been tweaked, and I like this new change a lot. See the video for details.
00.35 The Nappers attacked me for the second time(the first was outside the cave). They've obtained a Ranger Sign from a nearby slab of writing. 00.37 Raikou appeared and the Nappers are scared ****less and run off. Aw, Pichu's ukulele was broken in its scuffle. Well, now that we've found it, mission clear! 00.38 I receive 50 Ranger Points. Those are used for upgrading your Styler and other stuff, but the system is currently broken and I can't cash in my points yet(damn). I also noticed you get 1 Ranger Point for each S Rank capture. 00.41 I receive my first quest- sidejobs that give out rewards and stuff(in this case, it was 10 Ranger Points, not bad). It was by Booker. He needed something from Drop Island to repair Pichu's Ukulele. So off I go. 00.45 Arrived at destination, the girl that was tagging along jumped into a large pit in a tree trunk to get it. How clumsy, she disturbed a nest full of Sunkerns and I had to capture all 6 of them. Imagine what it's like to be close to this many of them!(she did let out a scream) 00.46 Returned to Rainbow Island with the item 00.50 Something went down at the square just outside the city. I went there to check it out and a group was standing looking at some green ball of light. It was a Celebi! After a successful capture, it took me back to the past, where I met someone...an acquaintance with the playful Celebi. She told Celebi to return me to my own time at once, which it did. I get the feeling I'll be meeting her more often though. 00.52 Pichu's Ukulele is repaired. Pichu looked completely thrilled and jumps all over the place. Cute little guy~ 00.55 Ukulele Pichu wants to join me as my partner! I was taught how to use him, but as of now I haven't had the chance to try it out yet. Here's the tutorial I recorded.
00.57 I was to look for the area Ranger and made my way to the beach. Got caught up in an underwater mission that had me searching the ocean floor for one of those UFO things the Nappers were riding. Naturally Pichu can't follow me down. 1.00 I finished the mission and came back to the surface. A quick one. I had to chase a Kingdra at one point too. Check out both videos of it!
Phew....that was long. I don't think I have the energy to keep this up for the rest of the game~! Well take this as a taste of things to come! I'll be sure to keep everyone posted on interesting happenings in Pokemon Ranger 3 and expect an import review later on too!
