I’ll admit I was a tad shocked to see the whole yarn concept at first back during E3. The name sounded extremely lame, and frankly the look didn’t excite me much. Then I saw the game play footage, and I heard several very positive remarks regarding the demo. While it breaks from some of the traditional aspects of Kirby (namely, the ability to suck things in, which has always been a central aspect) it still looks like a fantastic platforming experience. With the recent release of Metroid: Other M, there is definitely a place for side scrolling games being considered a major release. Donkey Kong Country Returns comes out later this year as well, which also goes back to the side scrolling approach. New Super Mario Bros. Wii did it as well. What else is there to say? Side scrolling is back!
With the release of Sony’s lollipop this comparison was imminent. Kotaku provides us with a few nice pictures as well as videos detailing the differences between the two controllers. Personally, Sony could make it in such a way that it gives me a boner from holding it and I’d still be repulsed by the two huge sexually questionable balls that you’re waving around while playing.
Disclaimer: There are no spoilers in this review. All of the examples cited are elaborated out of context and give no hint whatsoever on the content of the story.
Introduction
Well, there are a few more rough edges to polish here and there, but the New Nintendo overhaul is now nearly complete. And in order to celebrate, I am presenting you with the full review of Nintendo’s latest installment, Metroid: Other M.
I was very excited when I started playing this simply because I have read so many mixed reviews of the game. Let me start by saying that in order to fully grasp the story and understand why Samus is acting the way she is, you have to read the Metroid manga. Otherwise everything that happens will seem excessively melodramatic when in fact it isn’t.
I am really having a hard time approaching this review because the unique gameplay, surprisingly complex and deep story, make it hard to me to find a starting point. So for convenience let’s split this review into Visuals, Audio, Story and Gameplay.
It has been a while now since the E3 2010 revealing of the Nintendo 3DS. There is a lot that we’ve learned about the console, and there is also so much that we are still to see. The line up of games is already significantly large with many promising installments amongst them such as the return of Kid Icarus, Metal Gear, Ocarina of Time, Mario Kart and Paper Mario. Already, the Nintendo DS series has brought us so much more than just a portable console – there was an internet browser, cameras, voice recorders, even note taking software. It almost has everything phones and iPods have these days. Looking back at the DS series, and looking forward to the 3DS, not only should we expect a portable gaming console with lots of features, but we should also be expecting very near to the power of a console like the Wii – except held in our own hands.
Without question Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2, are up there as two of the greatest games of all time. Accordingly they were also two of the most highly anticipated and highly rated by critics, fans and the media. Something I haven’t seen discussed very openly is the simple question of ‘which one is better?’ Every review that I’ve read, every person I’ve spoken to thinks that Galaxy 2 is the superior game. It seems unanimously agreed that the latter improved all of the aspects of the original that it was marked down on reviews for. Maybe, I’m alone – but when I compare the elements that make up the two, it is the original in my mind that is superior.
Look I have never been the worlds biggest Dragon Quest fan. Having only played the games a couple times, it’s really hard for me to judge how good the series is. While it has been going on a long time, primarily on handhelds, it still hasn’t done enough to get any interest from me… until now. While Dragon Quest was created to draw in the Japanese audience, this new Nintendo DS version appears aimed at all RPG fans.
Nintendo is clearly pushing this new Dragon Quest hard, and they rarely do that without good reason. They want this game to be an international success and it has gotten my attention. I’ll be picking up this game at some point this year, so hopefully it doesn’t disappoint me.
Epic Mickey is one of those surprise titles. Everyone had high hopes when they first heard about it, but braced for heavy disappointment and a good chance the game would be too casual. Turns out, our fears were put to rest at E3. Epic Mickey is every bit as epic as it was hoped to be… so far. With all of the great titles coming out made in house at Nintendo, it’s great seeing a solid platforming/rpg style title from someone other than Nintendo. No one can argue now that the Wii is not delivering to the core gamers anymore. The question is always if it’s too little, too late. After the Wii being neglected of good titles for so long, is a big barrage of them enough to get gamers back on the Wii’s bandwagon? Only time will tell.
Naturally, it makes a lot of logical sense for Nintendo to make the first splash into a new console generation… whenever that is. Apparently Sony agrees as well.
Looking from the outside, it was Microsoft that released the first of this generation of consoles. Naturally, in my opinion, Microsoft will make the first move. Or, because Nintendo’s approach was not to upgrade much on its basic hardware – Wii doesn’t even support HD resolution – so they might be the first to move. Probably the watch should be on these companies, in my opinion. Because PS3 was later than Xbox, and is more powerful, so it has a longer lifespan.
This statement comes from Shuhei Yoshida, Sony’s Worldwide Studios boss. Of course, Microsoft is reference a tad more because they are Sony’s direct competition for third party support, while Nintendo is still viewed, in general, as a first party console. Plus the fact that the Wii seems to have a more casual audience by comparison. Still, I agree that due to how underwhelming in the power department the Wii is, Nintendo is in prime position to jump start the new generation whenever they feel like it. Sony does have most likely the longer life span in terms of staying power, but thats really more so due to their blue ray player in my mind.
Nintendo should be the first ones to make that step, and if done correctly that could also give them the major advantage in the next era of console wars. When will that era happen? Who knows, but it should be a fun fight when it does. It’s pretty clear Nintendo won this time around, but can they win down the road? Now that they have the casuals, can they eat into the “core” audiences of the Xbox on Playstation? Time will tell, but I think they have the ability to pull it off. New hardware combined with a massive focus on online networking could really put Nintendo over the top.
The Last Story, at least from this trailer, looks to be a pretty entertaining title. It’s nice seeing a game like this coming to the Wii console. I have honestly not heard a whole lot about this title to date, but supposedly it is co-developed by Mistwalker and Nintendo. The head of Mistwalker is supposedly the creator of the Final Fantasy series, so you know for certain this is an RPG game. However, with the co-development, you should be able to expect a much higher quality product then some of the more recent Final Fantasy games. The game is said to really focus on the human emotion side of things, which suggests an overly powerful story and some touching characters.
I am most excited for this game because I have been waiting for a strong quality RPG not named Fire Emblem to really push into the Final Fantasy realm. The thing with Final Fantasy is it pretty much owns the RPG realm these days on the console. It sucks primarily because it doesn’t have any real competition to push it to be better. With the original creator of Final Fantasy around, along with the creativity and quality Nintendo can provide, I am really excited for this game. We have no real news about the game other than what has previously been stated months ago: It will have Real Time system, and that is unfamiliar territory for Mistwalker. All I know is I can’t wait to get my hands on this sucker.
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