Nintendo 5-Star: May 2011

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Bit.Trip Saga

This is box-art for the upcoming Bit.Trip Saga coming to the 3DS, the saga was originally on Wii Ware. The first game (Bit.Trip beat) was a huge hit, leading to further sucess with the other 5 games. The original developer (Gaijin Games) is allowing Aksys games to publish the Saga. If your unfamiliar with the games its a 6 part, pixelated series with a wide range of game types, the 3DS game is said to be coming out sometime in summer this year.

My top 5 levels in Kirby's Epic Yarn

Forget for a moment that I'm talking about a 6-month-old Kirby game which although hugely popular, has already been completed by everyone who owns it. It's just me- the slowest and most anti-completionist gamer ever. Despite having the game for five months (and loving every minute of it) I've never looked into every hidden post-boss stage so I could at least have something new to look forward to every time I boot up the game. I cleared the last stage just a few days ago so I can finally put together a list of my favorites, like I did before with Mario Galaxy 2.

Obligatory spoiler warning if you haven't completed the game, though I really doubt anyone reading this would be playing the game slower than I do.

Nintendo 5-Star SummerCon 2011

Slow news week eh? Don't expect the pace to pick up yet, at least not until next week when E3 hits on June 7. Nintendo's conference in on the very first day too, so stay tuned!

The gaming industry isn't the only place where a giant party is about to take place- over at Nintendo 5-Star we have our own annual throwdown lasting three months. Site veterans should know our SummerCon event, and it's returning bigger and better than ever! Sequels to old N5 favorites like the Video Game Survivor and the unmissable N5S Posting Contest, and all new fun activities await you!

Happening in our forum, starting June 1. If you haven't signed up yet, just click the big banner to get there and get started!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Phoenix Wright: The Movie

Image from Capcom-Unity

And no you're not hearing things, this is for real. Finger-pointing has made its way from in-game sprites to friggin live-action! Fans of Phoenix Wright can probably guess what the story will revolve around- lots of evidence collecting, courtroom battles, over-the-top prosecutors and witnesses and of course, the iconic 'Objection!'

Hiroki Narimiya stars as Phoenix Wright, Takumi Saito takes the role of Miles Edgeworth, his rival, and Maya Fey, Phoenix's assistant by Mirei Kiritani. The movie is set to air on Spring 2012 in Japan.

Here's hoping it captures the essence of the game series well, because that is indeed a very difficult thing to achieve in a live-action movie!

My small collection of Shiny Pokemon

Brought over from my other blog at Gamespot.

A hacker would be able to come up with this number of shinies, and easily ten times more, in just an instant. I've never even caught one shiny Pokemon with my own hands or tried to breed one before (cross-breeding Pokemon of different regions apparently gives you a higher probability of getting a shiny- look up the Masuda Method if you don't know), but I've had a few people hack a few for me, and traded for the rest over Wi-Fi.

Best Ocarina of Time preorder bonus ever

A real ocarina?! With two sheets of music to play with it? And it's exclusive to Australia too. Ocarina of Time fans will change continents (or just raid eBay for the things) come launch day.

Japanese weekly sales: 16 to 22 May

From GoNintendo (view full list there)

01. / 00. [PSP] Akiba's Trip (Acquire) {2011.05.19} - 58.150 / NEW
02. / 00. [3DS] Dead or Alive: Dimensions (Koei Tecmo) {2011.05.19} - 23.078 / NEW
03. / 01. [NDS] Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 - Professional (Square Enix) {2011.03.31} - 19.290 / 494.793 (-7%)
04. / 00. [PSP] Gungnir: Mayari no Gunshin to Eiyuu Sensou (Atlus Co.) {2011.05.19} - 16.355 / NEW
05. / 05. [PSP] Patapon 3 (SCE) {2011.04.28} - 11.458 / 95.341 (-12%)
06. / 00. [PS3] Portal 2 (Electronic Arts) {2011.05.19} - 8.942 / NEW
07. / 06. [PSP] Pro Baseball Spirits 2011 (Konami) {2011.04.14} - 8.032 / 160.066 (-21%)
08. / 11. [WII] Wii Party (Nintendo) {2010.07.08} - 5.043 / 1.891.324 (+8%)
09. / 14. [NDS] Pokemon Black / White (Pokemon Co.) {2010.09.18} - 4.767 / 5.181.982 (+9%)
10. / 03. [3DS] Steel Diver (Nintendo) {2011.05.12} - 4.583 / 21.991 (-74%)

Significant:

Dead or Alive Dimensions debuts at no.2
Pokemon B/W reenters top ten for the umpteenth time, but is ahead of Monster Hunter Portable 3rd for the first time since MHP3 was launched (which is in 13th this week)
Wii Party reenters top ten
Steel Diver isn't doing so hot

Why Sonic Generations isn't coming to Wii

Well, it was at one point, but then Sega made the really shallow excuse people have been using ever since the Wii came out, like a student whose dog eats his homework every night.

'ZOMG NO HD GRAFIX LOLOLOL'

I don't know about you, but I have been quite pissed at Sega ever since every other console got it and Wii got the shaft, left with nothing but goddamn Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Sure I don't play Sonic games much, but losing a potentially good 3rd party title for this superficial and lame excuse really irks me.

Then there's this, which Sega mentioned in an interview.

'The primary goal for the console versions of Generations was re-imagining the series' classic zones in vivid, high-definition graphics. The Wii hardware wasn't a good fit for that concept, so we abandoned development on that, and decided that for our Nintendo audience, we would make a fresh start with a N3DS version of Generations.'

Okay, why 3DS and not Project Cafe, if they're looking for HD graphics? I'm baffled. Also, remember when they re-envisioned the classic zones in HD before on X360? Didn't turn out too well either eh?

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D new trailer

Old-timers should be able to recognize where this is, right? And a whole lot souped up it is too.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Unova Top 10 most Popular Pokemon in Japan

http://pokemonblackandwhite.net/?p=4808

Chandelure, Whimsicott, Reshiram, Reuniclus, Hydreigon, Serperior, Snivy, Ohsawott, Joltik and Lilligant make the top ten. Check the full list on the link above. It's a Nintendo Dream survey.

Tympole and Stunfisk have become Japanese forum memes by the way, that probably explains why they're on the list. Lots of cute Pokemon in the top 30. A lot of my own favorites are in there too! Whimsicott, Reuniclus, Oshawott and Lilligant, congrats~

Monday, May 23, 2011

Pokemon Battrio V

That scan we saw a month ago claiming that a new Pokemon game was coming? And all the rumors that followed afterward, including the most absurd one of a 3DS version of Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness. It's now revealed to be just a new version of the Japan-only Pokemon arcade game, Pokemon Battrio (with added Gen 5 Pokemon), which none of us will ever get to play, so.....

Atsumete! Kirby boxart and release date

Cutest boxart ever? Cutest boxart ever. Let's hope the US box won't turn all ten Kirbys into angry faces *shudders*

Release date is August 4 2011 in Japan, apparently delayed from a first release date of July 7. Oh well, just one extra month won't kill. Still no extra footage of the game since the first bit we saw back in December last year.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Wii Play Motion first trailer

What to say about this collection of minigames this time...Even though it's probably the last thing you'll ever want to see, remember where this game stems from- a million seller tech demo with tons of room for improvement, made by Nintendo and not by Wii shovelware king Ubisoft. And it still features Miis! Better looking ones at that- almost every aspect of the original Wii Play has been graphically enhanced (well, enhanced by Wii standards anyway), which is most apparent in some of the returning favorites like the shooting game and a new variant of Pose Mii. And all the games use Motion+ too. WPM is the original game's long-awaited answer to the highly acclaimed Wii Sports Resort.

You know, I'd actually dig some more Find Mii. I love that game.

Guess I do owe this blog some favors eh?

It's been a month since I've really posted anything on Nintendo 5-Star blog and to be honest I feel kinda guilty for leaving it alone after less than a year, but you know how bad real life duties and responsibilities can get. The only place that has been really happening in N5S are the forums, as anyone who's joined can tell you.

It's also the beginning (and end) of a slow news month, so probably I can pick up the pace sometime in June after E3 is over and the news starts pouring in. Hopefully we get to see some killer 3DS games and some word on Project Cafe.

As for N5S itself, well, the annual SummerCon event is beginning at our forums and this year it's going to be big, so join in and have some fun online when you're not being anywhere else! Also, I'll replace the buttons on the side with links to news stories that aren't obsolete (although the Pokemon button will remain relevant until the end of time).

Enjoy N5S, cause I'm coming back for now~

pikaby

Friday, May 20, 2011

Leaked Project Cafe footage?

Apparently a covert shooting of a developer presentation of Project Cafe, the 'console' being visible on the bottom of the video. It's like a compilation of nearly every leaked source we've seen over the past month, from the screens on the controller to the admittedly ugly plastic router like console. True?

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery E.P. Review

Hello there! I'm DG, and this is the first of what I hope will be a long series of articles to help you navigate the cluttered mobile game marketplace. While you can download a lot of shovelware for $0.99 a pop, I'll be directing you to the best games that are out there, as well as when they go on sale. We'll kick off the series with a review of one of my favorite new iPod/Phone/Pad games, called Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP, or the so much easier to remember S:S&S EP.

If ever I needed to make an argument for games as a form of artwork, alongside such recognized mediums as painting and writing, this humble game would be one of the ones I would point to. The game features beautifully stylized 8-bit graphics which give the game a fresh and unorthodox appearance. The characters appear somewhat simple, which adds to the subtle mysterious atmosphere of the game.

The game boasts its music as a major selling point, and rightfully so, as the creative and catchy BGM and sound effects are just as important as the game's visuals both in gameplay, and if you want to get the most out of the game's story and environment. Which you will, because the music is awesome.

Speaking of story, Sword and Sorcery has a very enticing and minimalist one. You are greeted by an unidentified man in a suit before beginning the game, an ominous start. You then take on the role of the wondering Scythian, a warrior monk on a grave quest that remains undisclosed to the player. You are given next to no backstory, so the exploration is up to you. By wandering through the strange and ominous woods, and befriending a household of locals, you will become more familiar with the characters' situations.

You will spend the majority of your time in Sword and Sworcer doing point and click style puzzles. Unfortunately, while Sword and Sworcery excels in the art department, it lacks somewhat in gameplay. You will spend a fair bit of time wandering the woods wondering what you are supposed to do next, and the puzzles tend to be arcane at best. Breaking up your puzzling and exploring adventures is the occasional combat, which would be a simple timing minigame if it was not executed so elegantly. When an enemy approaches you, you tilt your device 90 degrees to initiate combat, which, while no big deal on a phone, is a bit irritating on an iPad depending on the type of case you're using. By watching your enemy and blocking and striking at the correct times, you slay the mysterious beasts that haunt the local wilderness. The combat is not repetetive because it is not overused, and so is always a welcome twist in the pacing of your traveling.

The other main downside to the game is that even though its on a mobile device, this isn't really the kind of game you can pick up and play for a minute on the bus. The gameplay is slow paced, and you really need to be in an environment, preferably with headphones, where you can see, hear and appreciate the subtlety of the game.

Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP is a rare gem of a game and a beautifully crafted artistic experience that I highly recommend.

Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP
Apple App store
$2.99