I'm never again buying one of those things. I buy one, and then the V2.0 comes out. What next? I buy a 2.0 and then a 3.0 comes out?? No thanks. I'm pissed at Retrobit right now for making the first one so bad in quality. Mine came with a dead pixel and the screen shows plenty of parasites much like you'd expect from console connected to a TV over RF.
With the Famicom now added, and no longer PAL compatibility issues... I'm sold !! But I'll wait for reviews to come in on compatibily with specific chips that stump hardware clones almost all the time (Super Mario RPG for the SNES... Akumajou Densetsu and Lagrange Point for the Famicom, since those are games that I own and wish I could play in HDMI)
I remember it from the magazines back then, being hinted as using the super secret 2000 simultaneous colours mode of the console, using surround sound through headphones, and blah blah blah...
Actually reviews of previous JXD devices (a lot of them copied the PSP look) usually praise their build quality... except shoulder buttons, which can be quite fragile, but this was perhaps fixed with this release.
I'm interested! May look into getting one, depending on performance, battery life and WiFi reception (which was abysmal in some of their previous models)
The good thing about this model is that, while it is true that it can output a composite signal, using a RGB cable with it like the one the SNES uses lets you take advantage of the wonderful RGB signal that model is capable of . There are only 2 models of NES/Famicom out there capable of outputting in RGB :
The Famicom AV (this one) and the French NES (because their TVs back then were mostly onlt compatible with the SECAM video format, as opposed to the PAL one most Europe has always been using, so regular PAL NESes would have displayed in black & white on their TVs without RGB).
The Famicom AV however has the advantage of running games at 60Hz speed... and being totally region free, like the North American top loader NES is (except the latter can't output in RGB). So any owner of that model, with an adapter to play NES carts on a Famicom (a 60 to 72 pins converter) can enjoy playing all of its PAL or North American NES games in 60Hz AND RGB .
I always played my portable consoles with rechargeable batteries personally (I mean rechargeable AA ones). The longevity then really depends on the brand of the batteries (the mAh value inscribed on them).
At the moment I have a third party battery installed in my 3DS and actually measured how long it lasted me just yesterday. On full charge, with Wi-Fi and 3D turned off 95% of the time, on full screen brightness, I could get 17 hours and 30 minutes of Tales of the Abyss gameplay. I wasn't too happy with the original battery, but I have no complaints at the moment ^^, even if it makes my console a bit more bulky.
If the graphics are the same or even slightly better than on 360/PS3 then it's only natural that it should cost the same thing, especially since even more thought and game design will go into making the games exclusive to the console's unique controller and online features.
Can you count how many studios closed since the start of this console's generation just because HD games cost an awful lot of money to produce? I'm ready to bet we've lost more game developers since the start of this generation around 2006/2007 than in all the years preceding it. They HAVE to charge more money for what costs more produce. Comparing a smartphone game that looks like a web-browser flash based game to AAA HD games like what you see on consoles is ridiculous. Sure it's hard on the end customer but if the latter wants to see HD games to continue to be produced, he or she had better keep on buying them.
If the next PS or XBox come out as more powerful, then games for these platforms will also cost even more to produce and developer's margins will be reduced as well in the process. Better looking graphics cost more to produce, that's the way it works, isn't it? Do you think in the current crisis situation they'll be able to survive for long on the next generation of MS and Sony consoles without rising ever so slightly the price of their products again? I doubt it. If they don't, then we haven't seen the end of more big name studios closing their doors for good. Such a former giant as Sega reducing its production of AAA titles is already a bad sign of this and things won't improve in the years to come at this rate.
Pretty impressive, although fitting all that on a cartridge must have filled up all the space available even on the largest Atari carts, which I believe were maxed out at 4, or maybe 8KB (needs to be verified).
EDIT: OK most games were limited to 4KB, but bank switching allows for more than that, but it must have been costly at the time when the Atari 2600 was still relevant.
Didn't the Tekken Tag Tournament 2 producer already answer that question, saying that the latency was under 1 frame ? (thus less than 1/60 of a second). I thought he did though...
Sounds like a far too expensive technology to be included in anything Nintendo-made IMHO. They're not exactly known to include expensive tech in their consoles (not anymore, anyway). Besides, can haptic feedback work in conjunction with a resistive touch screen? From last E3, considering the Wii U controller was shown bundled with a stylus much like that of the DS Lite/DSi, only longer, it seems to hint that it'll use a resistive screen yet again... since capacitive screens (more expensive tech too) can't really detect plastic styli. Then again, perhaps they changed the tech used, since last year.
I suppose this was not all thrown to waste though. You could still play JetPac in Donkey Kong 64, as a bonus game (likely that emulator code was reused there).
Yeah great... eShop cards aren't even out yet, so I can't even buy anything from the eShop. One year in the life of the system, and eShop cars aren't available yet. I love you Nintendo !
NOA keeping quiet on things has become a sort of habit recently (a most unfortunate one too). They suck at communication these days. America is still waiting on Last Story >...
On the topic of Fire Emblem, it's nice to see some little changes, like the coliseum now being a proper map apparently, allowing you to take several units with you in there to train them. I hope all dialogues are voiced too ! That would be superb.
The Japanese edition fit on a 2GB cart. If the languages were an issue, I doubt the added text wouldn't have fitted on a 4GB cart. Besides, I doubt having to produce double the amount of 2GB carts to avoid using the more expensive 4GB ones is a cheaper move for them. It both gives out a bad image of the game (which already has flaws to begin with), AND it gives western gamers the sense that they're getting screwed. No matter how you twist your head to take a different view on the matter, I doubt anyone can find a right justification for such a stupid move.
Obviously this is only for the US. Bummer... Wish a publsher had stepped-up for at least a UK release. Curse you Adam ! Yes ! You, the English man with the seaweed-like sideburns ! (Fans of the show will understand)
A well deserved score. The music does get annoying after dozens of levels spent hearing the same highly repetitive tracks though (both characters' themes and the main menu theme)
@sgotsch: Press A B Select (in a row) on the file select screen to activate the easy mode if your really struggle too much, but you shouldn't need it, the game is so easy to begin with :/.
To me the best version remains the PC-Engine CD one, R-Type Complete (which bundled both Hu-cards). Maybe the remastered music doesn't appeal to most, but that was fine to me. And if the cutscenes aren't up your alley (because they break the rhythm of the action too much, for me at least), you could still skip them.
Any word about a release in Europe ? Otherwise I might consider getting a US copy of this. I'm also glad the Wii version seems to be the superior version, since I have no workaround to play imports on 3DS, while I'm able to play imports on my Wii .
I remember playing this through a friend's cart back in the days. But later on, I bought the DX version, which is so much better a game overall =). This one suffers from too much flickering. DX has the same issue, but at least the colour makes the flickering sprites still viewable while in B&W, they tend to become nearly invisible, in grey against a yellow/greenish background.
Darius Gaiden alone, without the redbook audio CD tracks, weighs more than 40MB, so even considering that they would compress the audio like they do for PC-Engine CD games, this would go over the size limit Nintendo put in place.
Considering also that it's a 3D game, the emulation will prove very complicated, so I don't think, given the very few players who would download it, that Taito would go through all the trouble of fitting everything within the 40MB, and optimizing the emulation to the point that the console would be able to handle all the 3D AND real time decompression of the data track of the CD. The income the game would generate wouldn't balance the cost of getting it to work with the Wii limitations.
What a coincidence ? I finally finished this game three days ago on my cartridge XD (played with Hawkeye as the main hero and Lise and Angela as the two others), though i had played it through emulation before, to get the story thanks to fan-translation.
To everyone here : If the gameplay in SD3 is bland, then it is ten times more in SD1 & 2. There's so much more you can do in SD3, like the BAs, the summons, the jutsus... of course all this comes after you get the hang of the growth and class change systems, so those who give up after just a few hours will only see the visible part of the iceberg.
The only aspect of the game that got me disappointed a bit was the plot, which wasn't as interesting as the two before it but just because to actually get the whole plot, you have to play it multiple times, and then you see the whole story unfold by crossing all the different stories that you can only see based on the main character you chose at the beginning of the game. If you plan to finish it only once, then sure, you won't find a very deep plot.
I downloaded this when it hit the japanese wii shop channel and paid to get it legally. Now i don't have access to the japanese wii shop channel anymore since they patched the security hole that allowed to access any wii shop channel from any region, so i can't update this.
I bought this game around the time it was released. I loved it, especially the funky music. I got all medals except for the time trial ones, it was a nice challenge to take . In fact i got both this and deadly creatures hehe.
Too bad however that by the time this one was released there were plenty of much better fighting games on the superior Neo Geo Pocket Color.
EDIT : @evilralfwiggum Not to mention that the GB version of Street Fighter 2 had a Super Game Boy two player mode, which let you enjoy versus battles on the same TV screen, using two snes pads .
#1
Kafei2006 commented on Review: Star Wars Episode I: Battle for Naboo ...:
Battle for Naboo was 32MB, not 16MB. If you pulled the info from wikipedia then you should know they're wrong on this one
.
#2
Kafei2006 commented on Hardware Review: Retro Duo Portable V2.0:
I'm never again buying one of those things. I buy one, and then the V2.0 comes out. What next? I buy a 2.0 and then a 3.0 comes out?? No thanks. I'm pissed at Retrobit right now for making the first one so bad in quality. Mine came with a dead pixel and the screen shows plenty of parasites much like you'd expect from console connected to a TV over RF.
#3
Kafei2006 commented on Agatsuma Plans To Release Farewell Umihara Kaw...:
YESSSSS!!!
#4
Kafei2006 commented on Hyperkin Details RetroN 5 Super Console In Vid...:
With the Famicom now added, and no longer PAL compatibility issues... I'm sold !! But I'll wait for reviews to come in on compatibily with specific chips that stump hardware clones almost all the time (Super Mario RPG for the SNES... Akumajou Densetsu and Lagrange Point for the Famicom, since those are games that I own and wish I could play in HDMI)
#5
Kafei2006 commented on The Game Boy Color’s Only First-Person Shoot...:
I remember it from the magazines back then, being hinted as using the super secret 2000 simultaneous colours mode of the console, using surround sound through headphones, and blah blah blah...
#6
Kafei2006 commented on Does The JXD GamePad 2 Remind You Of Anything?:
Actually reviews of previous JXD devices (a lot of them copied the PSP look) usually praise their build quality... except shoulder buttons, which can be quite fragile, but this was perhaps fixed with this release.
I'm interested! May look into getting one, depending on performance, battery life and WiFi reception (which was abysmal in some of their previous models)
#7
Kafei2006 commented on Hardware Classics: Nintendo AV Famicom:
The good thing about this model is that, while it is true that it can output a composite signal, using a RGB cable with it like the one the SNES uses lets you take advantage of the wonderful RGB signal that model is capable of
. There are only 2 models of NES/Famicom out there capable of outputting in RGB :
The Famicom AV (this one) and the French NES (because their TVs back then were mostly onlt compatible with the SECAM video format, as opposed to the PAL one most Europe has always been using, so regular PAL NESes would have displayed in black & white on their TVs without RGB).
The Famicom AV however has the advantage of running games at 60Hz speed... and being totally region free, like the North American top loader NES is (except the latter can't output in RGB). So any owner of that model, with an adapter to play NES carts on a Famicom (a 60 to 72 pins converter) can enjoy playing all of its PAL or North American NES games in 60Hz AND RGB
.
#8
Kafei2006 commented on Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Will Run At 1080p on...:
Ouch, those textures are still far too blurry, why can't they replace them with better ones? Is it really asking too much?
#9
Kafei2006 commented on Nintendo Download: 4th October 2012 (Europe):
I wish we got news of Denpa Men in Europe, as well as the new version of Cave Story.
#10
Kafei2006 commented on Ever Wondered How Your 3DS Battery Life Compar...:
I always played my portable consoles with rechargeable batteries personally (I mean rechargeable AA ones). The longevity then really depends on the brand of the batteries (the mAh value inscribed on them).
At the moment I have a third party battery installed in my 3DS and actually measured how long it lasted me just yesterday. On full charge, with Wi-Fi and 3D turned off 95% of the time, on full screen brightness, I could get 17 hours and 30 minutes of Tales of the Abyss gameplay. I wasn't too happy with the original battery, but I have no complaints at the moment ^^, even if it makes my console a bit more bulky.
#11
Kafei2006 commented on Talking Point: Are Wii U Games Going To Be Too...:
If the graphics are the same or even slightly better than on 360/PS3 then it's only natural that it should cost the same thing, especially since even more thought and game design will go into making the games exclusive to the console's unique controller and online features.
Can you count how many studios closed since the start of this console's generation just because HD games cost an awful lot of money to produce? I'm ready to bet we've lost more game developers since the start of this generation around 2006/2007 than in all the years preceding it. They HAVE to charge more money for what costs more produce. Comparing a smartphone game that looks like a web-browser flash based game to AAA HD games like what you see on consoles is ridiculous. Sure it's hard on the end customer but if the latter wants to see HD games to continue to be produced, he or she had better keep on buying them.
If the next PS or XBox come out as more powerful, then games for these platforms will also cost even more to produce and developer's margins will be reduced as well in the process. Better looking graphics cost more to produce, that's the way it works, isn't it? Do you think in the current crisis situation they'll be able to survive for long on the next generation of MS and Sony consoles without rising ever so slightly the price of their products again? I doubt it. If they don't, then we haven't seen the end of more big name studios closing their doors for good. Such a former giant as Sega reducing its production of AAA titles is already a bad sign of this and things won't improve in the years to come at this rate.
#12
Kafei2006 commented on Watch: Japanese Nintendo Direct Live:
Missed it, and looks like I didn't miss much. Where's my Majora's Mask 3DS?
#13
Kafei2006 commented on Intrepid Programmer Brings Super Mario Bros. t...:
Pretty impressive, although fitting all that on a cartridge must have filled up all the space available even on the largest Atari carts, which I believe were maxed out at 4, or maybe 8KB (needs to be verified).
EDIT: OK most games were limited to 4KB, but bank switching allows for more than that, but it must have been costly at the time when the Atari 2600 was still relevant.
#14
Kafei2006 commented on Could The Wii U GamePad Suffer From Latency?:
Didn't the Tekken Tag Tournament 2 producer already answer that question, saying that the latency was under 1 frame ? (thus less than 1/60 of a second). I thought he did though...
#15
Kafei2006 commented on Toki Tori Hatches on European eShop Next Week:
I thought the Game Boy Color version was published by Capcom...
#16
Kafei2006 commented on Pokémon and 3DS Still Top of the Japanese Charts:
Ouch for Time Travelers :/; there goes our chance to see it arriving here...
#17
Kafei2006 commented on Interview: Nigoro on La-Mulana's Cancellation:
Was the last Wiiware game I was truly looking forward to :/. With this cancellation, Wiiware just died in my eyes.
#18
Kafei2006 commented on Club Nintendo Europe Gives Coins for JRPG Trilogy:
Awesome ! I have already registered the first two and my Pandora copy shall arrive later today
. A nice offering indeed.
#19
Kafei2006 commented on Nintendo Download: 12th April 2012 (Europe):
I was waiting for save states to come to my ambassador digital copy of zelda, personally
. Good news.
#20
Kafei2006 commented on Rumour: ViviTouch to Demo Wii U Haptics Tech a...:
Sounds like a far too expensive technology to be included in anything Nintendo-made IMHO. They're not exactly known to include expensive tech in their consoles (not anymore, anyway). Besides, can haptic feedback work in conjunction with a resistive touch screen? From last E3, considering the Wii U controller was shown bundled with a stylus much like that of the DS Lite/DSi, only longer, it seems to hint that it'll use a resistive screen yet again... since capacitive screens (more expensive tech too) can't really detect plastic styli. Then again, perhaps they changed the tech used, since last year.
#21
Kafei2006 commented on Wait, There's a Spectrum Emulator in GoldenEye?:
I suppose this was not all thrown to waste though. You could still play JetPac in Donkey Kong 64, as a bonus game (likely that emulator code was reused there).
#22
Kafei2006 commented on XSEED Reveals Unchained Blades for 3DS eShop:
Yeah great... eShop cards aren't even out yet, so I can't even buy anything from the eShop. One year in the life of the system, and eShop cars aren't available yet. I love you Nintendo
!
#23
Kafei2006 commented on Five Glorious Minutes of Fire Emblem: Awakenin...:
NOA keeping quiet on things has become a sort of habit recently (a most unfortunate one too). They suck at communication these days. America is still waiting on Last Story >
...
On the topic of Fire Emblem, it's nice to see some little changes, like the coliseum now being a proper map apparently, allowing you to take several units with you in there to train them. I hope all dialogues are voiced too
! That would be superb.
#24
Kafei2006 commented on God of War NES Demake Released:
Some of the graphics seem to be stripped off Battle of Olympus, but I might be wrong (Haven't played that game in a while)
#25
Kafei2006 commented on Looks Like Namco Wants to Sell You One Piece SP 2:
The Japanese edition fit on a 2GB cart. If the languages were an issue, I doubt the added text wouldn't have fitted on a 4GB cart. Besides, I doubt having to produce double the amount of 2GB carts to avoid using the more expensive 4GB ones is a cheaper move for them. It both gives out a bad image of the game (which already has flaws to begin with), AND it gives western gamers the sense that they're getting screwed. No matter how you twist your head to take a different view on the matter, I doubt anyone can find a right justification for such a stupid move.
#26
Kafei2006 commented on New SNES Title's Pre-orders Sell Out:
Will the cartridge be equipped with a long lasting MASK rom like the originals or a cheap flash memory chip which will die within the next 5 years ?
#27
Kafei2006 commented on Resident Evil Revelations Almost Had Campaign ...:
The capsize of the ship was the feature I was looking forward to the most. Sad they couldn't find a good way to implement it;
#28
Kafei2006 commented on Retro Game Master Headed to DVD:
Obviously this is only for the US. Bummer... Wish a publsher had stepped-up for at least a UK release. Curse you Adam ! Yes ! You, the English man with the seaweed-like sideburns ! (Fans of the show will understand)
By the way, for those who don't know about the show : http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBCCAE4D5869DC175
#29
Kafei2006 commented on Mega Man X the Highlight of Europe's Wii Schedule:
La Mulana is the real highlight in there for me
.
#30
Kafei2006 commented on Atlus Reprints Radiant Historia, Due Next Month:
I'm glad I preordered this on Play-Asia long enough before release. The piano pieces on the included CD were fantastic
.
Gave it a 9/10 in my review for Cubed3.com.
#31
Kafei2006 commented on Review: Double Bloob (DSiWare):
And the team is supposed to have been handed the development of famed vaporware "Sadness" for Wii XD.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibris
#32
Kafei2006 commented on Machinarium Finally, Officially Cancelled:
Thanks @XGen !
#33
Kafei2006 commented on Review: Catrap (3DS Virtual Console / Game Boy):
A well deserved score. The music does get annoying after dozens of levels spent hearing the same highly repetitive tracks though (both characters' themes and the main menu theme)
#34
Kafei2006 commented on Nintendo Download: 6th October 2011 (Europe):
Catrap/Pitman is an awesome little title
. Loads of hours played on this one for me
.
#35
Kafei2006 commented on Review: Aliens: Infestation (DS):
"Another glorious day in the Corps!"
Haha, Apone's quote from Aliens. That was brilliant
.
#36
Kafei2006 commented on Review: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (3D...:
@Teh-Ray But when a game can be completed in two hours tops, we have a right to complain because the price is hard to justify by nowadays standards.
#37
Kafei2006 commented on Review: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (3D...:
@sgotsch: Press A B Select (in a row) on the file select screen to activate the easy mode if your really struggle too much, but you shouldn't need it, the game is so easy to begin with :/.
#38
Kafei2006 commented on R-Type Being Removed from Virtual Console:
To me the best version remains the PC-Engine CD one, R-Type Complete (which bundled both Hu-cards). Maybe the remastered music doesn't appeal to most, but that was fine to me. And if the cutscenes aren't up your alley (because they break the rhythm of the action too much, for me at least), you could still skip them.
#39
Kafei2006 commented on Review: BIT.TRIP COMPLETE (Wii):
Any word about a release in Europe ? Otherwise I might consider getting a US copy of this. I'm also glad the Wii version seems to be the superior version, since I have no workaround to play imports on 3DS, while I'm able to play imports on my Wii
.
#40
Kafei2006 commented on Review: R-Type (Game Boy):
I remember playing this through a friend's cart back in the days. But later on, I bought the DX version, which is so much better a game overall =). This one suffers from too much flickering. DX has the same issue, but at least the colour makes the flickering sprites still viewable while in B&W, they tend to become nearly invisible, in grey against a yellow/greenish background.
#41
Kafei2006 commented on Review: Mario Party 2 (Virtual Console / Ninte...:
Ah ! The look the other way mini game ! So many memories =).
#42
Kafei2006 commented on Review: Darius Twin (Virtual Console / Super N...:
Darius Gaiden alone, without the redbook audio CD tracks, weighs more than 40MB, so even considering that they would compress the audio like they do for PC-Engine CD games, this would go over the size limit Nintendo put in place.
Considering also that it's a 3D game, the emulation will prove very complicated, so I don't think, given the very few players who would download it, that Taito would go through all the trouble of fitting everything within the 40MB, and optimizing the emulation to the point that the console would be able to handle all the 3D AND real time decompression of the data track of the CD. The income the game would generate wouldn't balance the cost of getting it to work with the Wii limitations.
#43
Kafei2006 commented on Review: Cave Story (DSiWare):
I got the GP2X version, which is playable on the go and available legally for FREE =).
#44
Kafei2006 commented on Ogre Battle 64 Hits Europe This Friday:
It's also a true bargain considering the high price-point the original US cart costs on the used market.
#45
Kafei2006 commented on Review: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (G...:
My favorite so far in the Paper Mario franchise.
#46
Kafei2006 commented on Review: Wonder Momo (Virtual Console / TurboGr...:
This reminds me of the Wonder Momo Magnus in Baten Kaitos XD.
#47
Kafei2006 commented on Review: Seiken Densetsu 3 (Super Nintendo):
What a coincidence ? I finally finished this game three days ago on my cartridge XD (played with Hawkeye as the main hero and Lise and Angela as the two others), though i had played it through emulation before, to get the story thanks to fan-translation.
To everyone here : If the gameplay in SD3 is bland, then it is ten times more in SD1 & 2. There's so much more you can do in SD3, like the BAs, the summons, the jutsus... of course all this comes after you get the hang of the growth and class change systems, so those who give up after just a few hours will only see the visible part of the iceberg.
The only aspect of the game that got me disappointed a bit was the plot, which wasn't as interesting as the two before it but just because to actually get the whole plot, you have to play it multiple times, and then you see the whole story unfold by crossing all the different stories that you can only see based on the main character you chose at the beginning of the game. If you plan to finish it only once, then sure, you won't find a very deep plot.
#48
Kafei2006 commented on Konami Updates Gradius Rebirth:
I downloaded this when it hit the japanese wii shop channel and paid to get it legally. Now i don't have access to the japanese wii shop channel anymore since they patched the security hole that allowed to access any wii shop channel from any region, so i can't update this.
Thank you Nintendo
!
#49
Kafei2006 commented on Review: de Blob (Wii):
I bought this game around the time it was released. I loved it, especially the funky music. I got all medals except for the time trial ones, it was a nice challenge to take
. In fact i got both this and deadly creatures hehe.
#50
Kafei2006 commented on Review: Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams...:
Too bad however that by the time this one was released there were plenty of much better fighting games on the superior Neo Geo Pocket Color.
EDIT : @evilralfwiggum Not to mention that the GB version of Street Fighter 2 had a Super Game Boy two player mode, which let you enjoy versus battles on the same TV screen, using two snes pads
.