@Zach Thanks mate, I enjoyed reading your review of the Wii game, it was helpful in my research towards reviewing this version. There were signs early on that Wii Thor: God of Thunder had not been optimised for 3DS, for example the bottom screen menu selections do not even work with the touch screen. I did not exactly expect the free version of the Thor themed Avengers animation to be in 3D, but they could have worked on the cut-scenes to take advantage of the unique 3D capabilities of the hardware.
@BulbasaurusRex I thought that the inclusion of motion controls for Force powers in Wii Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II were fun, the four-player fighting game in that title was a welcome addition too, at least it showed that Red Fly were putting extra effort into the Wii version.
@Retro_on_theGo Yep, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game on PSN is ace, it's both respectful to the license and an homage to classic side-scrolling beat-'em-ups, especially Konami's colourful and expressively animated arcade games like TMNT: Turtles in Time and The Simpsons Arcade.
@crazyj2312 and @Milkman-123 I fully agree, Batman: Arkham Asylum is a benchmark for the standard that can be achieved when a developer truly understands the intricacies of a comic book hero and is brave enough to extend beyond the confines of a film license.
On that note it's worth mentioning that I have just finished writing a review of a DS game, one that I consider to be a swan song title for the system. It goes live today and is a good example of a developer expanding upon a movie licence and fully understanding why fans love the film. In this case it continues after a classic Sci-fi flick. The review goes live today, can you guess what it is yet?
@Ristar42 Agreed on a number of points mate, I have Retro Gamer Issue 94 too, and I can second your recommendation of it for the GBA article. It looks at twenty notable games that were not remakes and has a box-out for special mention of another five titles (including the TMNT game by Ubisoft Montreal, that played like an homage to Konami's colourful side-scrolling brawlers). Plus there is a two page 'Future Classic' spread on GBA Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.
I hear you about Shinobi on GBA, I read such bad things about that game that I never invested in it to try it for myself. In some respects it sullied the fine name that is The Revenge of Shinobi. I would love to find out that it was not as bad as the reviews described, but I am doubtful.
I have brilliant memories of recapturing SEGA's '80s arcade days, by playing SEGA Arcade Gallery while I was on holiday in France. With OutRun, Space Harrier, After Burner and Super Hang On available on one cart it was a quality compilation, especially since I had not played Super Hang On since the Mega Drive days. Unfortunately the GBA compilation SEGA Smash Pack had a completely dire conversion of Golden Axe that disappointed considering the GBA's capabilities.
I think that this list does a great job of showing the diversity of genres available on GBA and that there are plenty of third-party treats available, to complement Nintendo's own classics.
I personally have very similar taste in games to @Mickeymac and @Ristar42, that is something that I have noticed in my time at Nlife. However, the challenge of compiling a list like this is to allow for a variety of gamer's tastes.
For example, I love Double Dragon Advance, but Final Fight One is still an incredibly relevant beat-'em-up conversion. Similarly, I have tons of time and appreciation for Gunstar Super Heroes, but I can see how Astro Boy: Omega Factor is arguably the more rounded, accomplished and deserving title to make the list.
The other challenge I see in compiling a list like this is that the Sonic Advance and Castlevania series of games each appeared three times on GBA. You could have an entire forum thread debating which is the best GBA Castlevania or Sonic Advance game, but I am honestly happy to see any of those six games appearing here.
Ultimately, I think that if you invested in all ten of these games, you would have a cracking collection of third-party games for your GBA.
...and if you own Ninja Five-O, please send it to me, it is not worth that much money. I'm sure you won't miss it.
It's brilliant to see Nintendo Life constantly growing and moving forward, I am always impressed by the commitment of the team in providing Ninty-based content for the site, as well as the graft that the Editors and Admin staff manage in the background.
All of your hard work has paid off with news like this. I look forward to seeing the improvements that you have planned for the future.
Heaps of congratulations on the Eurogamer advertising partnership. Superb news.
This is great news, having a permanent base will give Retro Computer Museum more stability and hopefully help it to gain increased attention from gamers and museum visitors.
If events and exhibitions become more frequent, then that is excellent news for the UK's retro community.
Thanks for the comments everyone, I can feel the Sonic Advance love in this room, good on you all! (Cheers @Kid_A, that was a sound thing to say).
@shinesprite Nice call on the Sonic Adventure DX GBA/ GCN link connection, you make a good point mate, I did not discuss it as much here because the GameCube Director's Cut version of Adventure came out a couple of years after GCN Sonic Adventure 2: Battle and GBA Sonic Advance (which felt a little bit back-to-front to me, as I did not own a Dreamcast to play them in correct order).
@JirachiFan Yep, you're right, Cream's first appearance was in Sonic Advance 2. The four controllable characters in the first Sonic Advance are Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy.
@Swithom I am glad you mentioned the Egg Rocket Zone from Zone 6 (Act 1), because I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with that level. I love it really, because the concept of a rocket rumbling and preparing to launch into space is cool, but it is the toughest and longest level in the game, with a more maze-like design. It also has a large number of bottomless pits, some I found to be unfairly placed next to trampolines ricocheting Sonic into instant oblivion if I did not land perfectly on a moving spring. Then again, I like a challenge, and Egg Rocket Zone is the level that I've played the most in Sonic Advance.
This feature actually highlights how much I have enjoyed Sonic games in recent years - from the hectic, on-rails feel of Sonic and the Secret Rings, to the 2D design skill that Dimps and Sonic Team brought to both Sonic Rush games.
I really think that Sonic has reached a high-standard with his recent output, including Sonic Colours and I have lots of time for Sonic 4: Episode I. I actually consider the PS3 version of Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing to be one of my favourite kart racers. Sumo Digital injected so much energy into that title.
Ha ha, I think I will use this article as a reference point in the future, as proof that Sonic games have emerged from the shadows of a few less savoury titles (games like the 2006 PS3/Xbox 360 Sonic the Hedgehog, that are regarded as being unworthy of his classic character status).
@Incognito_D Traveller’s Tales really took advantage of a brilliant opportunity and created a fun racer in Sonic R.
In many ways I think that it has been a bit underrated over time, although the original Saturn version received a decent review from Official SEGA Saturn Magazine (Issue 26, Dec1997). I advise that you pick up a cheap copy of GCN or PSN Sonic Gems Collection, if you find it at a good price.
I agree about the Sonic R soundtrack, I tap my toes to it as I race along and find myself singing 'Can You Feel the Sunshine' long after I turn the console off!
@James Brilliant article, I can't wait to read the second part of it.
In many ways the colour, pace and charm of the Sonic character was a perfect fit for Nintendo platforms, once the dust had long settled from the ferociousness of the 16-bit wars.
Great stuff James, I love the subject matter for this feature, there is something mystical about games that have been lost in time, especially when they involve a character as iconic as Sonic.
This is the type of feature that I keep returning to, I really enjoy learning about extra bits of specialist knowledge, it is good to dig deep into more unusual topics from the history vaults of video games.
Thank you for the comments guys, I always appreciate feedback from Nlife's readers, and I am particularly pleased to hear that the review has helped to put this game back on the radar for a few of you. Props right back at @LTD, it is kind of you to mention my review's attention to detail, I'm glad you found it informative.
Hopefully the review conveys that I am a fan of side-scrolling beat-'em-ups, whether it is a 'street punk' brawler or a fantasy hack-and-slash game, I have loved this genre since my friend showed me Renegade on the Amstrad CPC 464 and after I first played arcade Double Dragon in 1987. The genre had its heyday during the early 1990s, however I touch upon the issue of repetitiveness here and it is not a new issue for this game-type. Titles like arcade Golden Axe avoided it by keeping the game-length incredibly short, but I have heard gamers argue that even a title as great as Streets of Rage 2 can become monotonous.
In regard to DS Thor: God of Thunder it is worth noting that each of the 21 acts is a fairly snappy length, averaging about 8 minutes each, which works well for a handheld game. I also think that the way in which a player approaches the combat makes a huge difference: if you button mash your way through Story mode then it will become repetitive, but if you mix-up attacks then it feels far more exciting (e.g. diving past enemies with R, launching between dual-screens, ground slamming, charging smash attacks, throwing Mjölnir, grabbing enemies, uppercut swings and performing God Powers). If a gamer is creative with their attacks it adds diversity to the action and the game becomes more fun.
A 2D beat-'em-up fan will love playing through Story mode to meet the game's bosses, which start off brilliantly, but get better and better as you progress. Just wait until you first meet Ymir in Chapter III (Act III), I honestly believe that you will be stunned by the presentation of that battle and later bosses are just as amazing.
You could say that the bosses in this game are completely Thor-some! (oh dear).
I really like the look of it, although I am interested in learning more about its physical depth, the back of it looked a bit chunky in the videos. I can't wait to read impressions about how the Wii U's controller feels to hold and what it is like to play games with.
The reel of third party games trailer in the conference demonstrated a few FPS games, so perhaps devs will be more keen to port PS3/ Xbox games using the two Circle Pads without worrying about changing their core system to incorporate motion controls.
I enjoyed the devs description of it as a 'Swiss army knife', with the touch screen, accelerometer, motion controls, rumble and twin circle pads this controller can cope with pretty much any game genre.
Regarding the graphical capabilities, I think that the way in which Nintendo were able to extract the very best visuals from the Wii in games like Super Mario Galaxy 2 bodes well for some stunning looking first party Wii U games.
My only slight concern is if Microsoft or Sony announce a powerful next gen successor to Xbox 360/ PS3 at next year's E3, then Wii U's capabilities could look old before their time. In that situation, third parties may move their development to the more technically advanced competition.
That is just speculation though and I am feeling far more optimistic about Wii U, the controller enables a plethora of fresh gameplay opportunities and the visuals in the conference's tech demo proves that Wii U's graphics will still be lush. I think that the screen on the controller will lead to lots of third party exclusive games, too.
I am disappointed if Wii U is not backwards compatible with GameCube, but at least we can play our Wii games on it.
Ha, ha, could someone check if Wii U has a hidden flap hiding ports for GameCube controllers? ...You never know!
To me kart racers epitomise Christmas gaming, I first played the original SNES Super Mario Kart, GCN Mario Kart: Double Dash and Mario Kart Wii on Christmas Day.
Mario Kart 3DS looked fantastic during the E3 conference, I especially liked when the karts raced underwater with little propellers and the hang glider moments. At a glance it looked like there will be classic DS tracks in there too. The variety of vehicles looks quite wild, but wackiness is part of the Mario Kart fun.
I'm interested to hear how Corbie thinks the 3DS game compares graphically to the Wii and GCN titles.
This is a quality bit of news, it was a nice find James, cheers for sharing it. Although Kouichi Yotsui does not reveal much it is enough for me to hear that he thinks that 3DS is "wonderful" and that he is interested in developing for it with a "far better game idea."
@motang I agree fully, the word "awesome" is completely accurate to describe both Mega Drive and Arcade Strider.
Alongside feelplus, Yotsui did a great job on Moon Diver, so I look forward to his future games as a 'Planner', his work suited Square Enix's style well. I especially hope that his next game makes use of parallax scrolling overlapping in a 2D/ 2.5D graphical style, but with layers of depth on the 3D screen.
Cheers lots to Corbie, I was distracted by Pilotwings Resort and Ridge Racer 3D, it was not until he got in touch with the Nlife team about this article that I started to dabble in saving/ sharing my Mii and messing around with scanning QR codes.
This is such a fun feature of the 3DS, and what Corbie has written is a fun feature about such a fun feature of the 3DS. Awesomesauce!
@sillygostly Thanks for your comment, it’s always good to hear an alternative viewpoint. A big element of a Sims game is time management, so I’m glad you mastered a method to manage the more menial Sims tasks. I felt that mundane chores upset the balance and dominated the game detrimentally, this took away from my enjoyment, but each gamer enjoys different things.
In regard to the score, I consciously made a decision that if a gamer purchased a new 3DS, this game would give them a poor first impression of the hardware. It was not just bugs, but awkward design choices that informed my scoring decision. For example, I read a review of this game on a prominent site today (a day after my review), that independently found the same bug as me. This was where after 15 hours play my Sim’s radio broke, but sat in limbo, I could not select it to repair it. It was small, but it is not coincidence that two gaming sites encountered the same problem.
There is a design flaw which I encountered involving character creation, caused by vague and unhelpful menus when creating outfits, haircuts etc, for daytime, nightwear and sports gear. Tiny nondescript tabs could lead gamers new to the Sims to be flummoxed in understanding they're supposed to create more that one outfit. Again I know that a large gaming site has mentioned this exact problem, completely independently of us coming across it.
My expectations of this were far higher than the DS game, considering that 3DS has been described as having specs which are comparable to a GameCube, or even a Wii. It is not just that the visuals are bland, but they are clumsy, entire walls blocked my top screen in the default view. I also own Ridge Racer 3D and Pilotwings Resort, and while they are different genres, the level of polish feels like a generation ahead of this, I know how I would spend my £35.
A review involves a certain amount of subjectivity and we all have our own tastes and opinions. Most importantly I am pleased you are getting enjoyment out of it, your opinion is just as valid as mine, and you make a good point when you say, “There's plenty to enjoy here for social sims and fans of dating games”. Have lots of fun with Super Street Fighter IV too, mate. Cheers.
@slapshot82 The Sims 3 on 3DS is actually more suited for gamers with the teeniest bit of a playful sadistic streak, because it is UK Pegi rated as a 12, when the DS game was a Pegi 7, so more mature content is available (eg your Sim can perish).
@Stine I agree completely, I found the load screens tiresome, because the town areas are small anyway, so there can't be that much data to load and each load is over 20 seconds long (travelling to town and another load for home again). I think with more development time a Sims dev could create a much more immersive world, by utilising the superior 3DS tech specs for larger, more varied locations and a better flowing, continuous feel to the game world.
It is a shame that the 'Save Game' times are long too, particularly as there is no autosave, and I think that it would have been beneficial for the player to have the choice of more than one save game slot.
@slapshot82 I am up to 25 hours playtime with The Sims 3 now and even though my Sim has failed miserably to instigate WooHoo, despite both Sims (wife and husband) having a full friendship/ romance meter and hearts popping up all over the place, all hope is not lost.
On the 3DS's main 'Home Menu', where the Sims 3 item rotates there is clearly a picture of a bed with Sim's under the covers and hearts spinning above the bed sheets. They may well be making WooHoo!
There is still a surprising amount of depth to The Sims 3, the way in which an action will have a consequence, so how you manage your Sim inter-relates between Moodlets, Skills, Wishes and Careers. This makes it all the more frustrating that there are only two small towns to visit, because The Sims Studio have built the core Sims template, but there is no variety to the locations. Anyhow, I could not discuss everything in the review, so below is some extra information that may be of interest to Sims fans:
You can buy and sell household items (furniture, cookers, computers etc), and manage where they are placed in your house. However, be careful, the game allowed me to place a tiny bin next to the fridge, but then it took me a while to work out that my Sims were starving because for some reason the bin stopped them from accessing it, even though the fridge opened easily enough.
You can decorate your house, for example change the tiles on the floors.
There is a fast forward button, although if you overuse it your Sim will be late for work and face disciplinary action. Your Sim has a basic amount of independence through AI choices, too.
You can read books to improve skills, as well as practising a special skill (guitar, athletics etc).
If your house is being robbed you can choose to fight the burglar or call the police, although if your Sim fights the robber and loses he will become upset.
You can use the Circle Pad to navigate around the bottom touch screen map, and zoom out to look at an entire town area, or house.
Your Sim does not age in the 3DS version of The Sims 3 and you can not choose to create your Sim as a different age group, like you can in the console version of the game (from toddler to elderly).
Changes in mood are displayed using different colours for the Moodlets: green is great, yellow is a warning and if the Moodlet turns red, then things are going badly for your Sim (e.g. your Sim is starving, needs a shower, wants to go to town etc). Moodlet icons also have a timer ticking down in hours and minutes, before they really start to kick in. However, the Moodlet design often ends up with the player repeating menial tasks; your Sim’s moods are incredibly needy.
Take good care of your Sim, dangers like fire, electrocution and particularly starvation mean that if you do not treat your Sim well, they will perish.
If anyone has any further specific questions about this game, I will hang out on this comments board to answer them. Cheers.
@RadioShadow and @Laxeybobby: It does not cost £197, I just bought one this morning and whilst it says £197 on the receipt they take £22 off straight away (included as 'Additional Savings' on my receipt).
I bought a 3DS from Tesco today and it definitely only cost me £175.
@Dazza I am chuffed mate, when pre-orders first came out in HMV/ Game/ Gamestation etc I honestly thought that I would have to pay £230 just for the 3DS. I got the 3DS and two games for just £245! Result!
I have just bought my Aqua Blue 3DS from Tesco, in-store at Bidston Moss just outside Birkenhead, and I can confirm that this offer is 100% correct. A Tesco 3DS costs £175, but you have to buy a £34.90 game with the offer. Therefore, the total Tesco price for a 3DS with a game is £209.90.
For example I bought:
Aqua Blue 3DS = £175.00
Pilotwings Resort = £34.90
The Sims 3 = £34.90
Total = £244.80
A complete and utter bargain! Thanks lots for this news Nlife and cheers @James Newton!
It's fun to read Corbie's reviews and his tweets about these 3DS launch games, it is like he is chronicling a journey as he takes in early 3DS treats from Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition to Super Monkey Ball 3D and now Pilotwings Resort, with Rayman 3D next. Great stuff.
The 3DS launch is the most indecisive that I've been about picking which title to buy first, with DS and GBA I knew which games I wanted from the outset. After reading this review Pilotwings Resort has become my top contender, though. I understand the arguments that there have been changes to the series since the SNES and N64 games and I realise that some people are saying that the presentation of this one loses some of the goofy, quirky designs of Pilotwings 64, but I still think there is a lot of charm and Nintendo style lavished on Wuhu Island.
I need to make my mind up fast, there are only three more days to go.
I have had this game pencilled in as my main 3DS launch game since it was added to the UK release list and this review answers all of my questions, so there is still a good chance that I will buy this on March 25th. I have enjoyed the arcade exuberance of this series since my jaw-dropped seeing the coin-op in 1994 and it has been a game which I now associate with many a console launch, particularly with the PlayStation systems, as I picture the brand new release of PSone, PS2, PSP and PS3 all using a Ridge Racer title to showcase the tech.
Therefore, it is a selling point to me that Ridge Racer 3DS "feels like a celebration of previous efforts", I know that I will enjoy revisiting classic tracks in 3D. I am interested in the feedback on this title regarding eye-strain and acclimatisation, I have heard gamers including Damo discussing this on Twitter and it seems as though it is a difficult issue to pinpoint, because it is dependant upon each individual's eyesight.
My only tiny niggle with this game is regarding its graphical fidelity, I remember being blown away by Ridge Racers on my Japanese PSP in late 2004/ early 2005, so it seems a bit disappointing that a brand spanking new bit of Nintendo hardware does not really exceed that visual benchmark, because the first PSP game is over six years old now. It is not all about the graphics though, I'm confident that I will be won over by a nostalgic take on the Ridge Racer arcade gameplay in this title.
It's good to go into a purchase of this game knowing that it is fun, but it obviously has shortcomings. Cheers Damo.
I have pinched $12.32 (£7.81) out of my 3DS fund to treat myself to the print version of the first issue of SCROLL including P&P, I couldn't resist it since it "features a celebration of the SNES", which is possibly my favourite console of all time. MagCloud's post and packaging price of $2.32 from the US to the UK seemed very reasonable too, so I'm looking forward to reading Ray's breakdown of the history of the SNES and an "import-centric" vibe when the mag arrives over the next couple of weeks.
An interesting interview Damo, thanks for bringing this zine to our attention. Just like @slapshot82, I have followed the relevant Twitter feeds for SCROLL and Ray too.
I can only get one 3DS game at launch, depending upon the Nlife review it will be Ridge Racer 3D, partially because whenever I visit my cousin's house his competitive game of choice is always PS3 SSFIV, so I have played tons of that game recently. However, even though I am not going to buy Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition straight away I may pick it up later on, based upon how well it has been received here.
The 3DS has got off to a cracking start, I enjoyed reading the first ever Nlife 3DS review, by receiving such a high appraisal Capcom has set the bar high for the other launch games. I also think that the SSFIV artwork looks completely brilliant set in the banner with the new pillar box red colouring of the 3DS section. Great work all round!
Shucks, there I was chatting away about both Retro Gamer N64 features and I didn't put two and two together and credit Nlife's retro reviewer @Mayhem for his contribution to them in my comment either. Sorry about that Mat, I didn't realise until after I read your comment. I had a flick through my mags and noticed that you wrote the Retro Gamer hardware articles about the C64, VIC-20 and Vectrex too. Fair play, I read them first time around but I think that I will return to them now, I could definitely use more knowledge about Vectrex and VIC-20 (my mate had one), and I am nostalgic about C64 (my second computer after an Acorn Electron). Great work on the N64 pieces too, mate.
@Mikanes Wow, Janne Kaitila's (finngamer) collection is amazing, thanks for sharing the links to his YouTube vids, I feel humbled as a retro gamer by such an achievement. Fingers crossed that he is able to get hold of those elusive Japanese N64 games, hopefully someone can help him find them following his appearance in the latest issue of Retro Gamer.
@Ristar42 Snap, I buy reprints too, plus I find the handbooks and bookazines to be excellent, because they have so much detailed information all in one convenient to access place. Alongside every issue of the mag and the two hardware handbooks I have the four volumes of 'Retro Gamer Collection', as well as the two smaller early releases of the 'Retro Gamer Anthology', the first of which was published by Live Publishing before the sterling work of Imagine Publishing on the mag (which you note above).
I am a huge fan of gaming magazines (retro and current) and Retro Gamer is one of my favourite mags of all time, although special mention should also go to gamesTM's 'Retro' section, which has many years of coverage under its belt resulting in three more huge bookazines which are definitely worth a read too. I should not forget Edge's retro pieces too, they also have a number of ace Retro special mags. Great stuff!
@Raylax In my eyes it's cool to see an Nlife news piece on this article, I think that an 'N64 Collector's Guide' feature as in-depth as the one adorning the cover of Retro Gamer Issue 87 will be of interest to any N64 fan, not just gamers based in UK.
@sykotek The controversy is two-fold, as Retro Gamer's editor Darran Jones explains first of all many of the mag's cover art has been stunning over the years, so some people think that by comparison a nice hardware pic is not quite as innovative a cover (I like the N64 cover), and secondly Retro Gamer has already covered the N64 as a retroinspection way back in Issue 31. The Issue 31 retroinspection can also be found re-printed in the completely awesome Videogames Hardware Handbook Volume 1.
Therefore the mag is consciously writing for different readers, people like me and @Ristar42 who have every single issue of the mag and newer readers who have not read their hardware features first time around. They have achieved this by compiling their future hardware pieces with a focus upon a collector's perspective, the N64 article is laid out as:
The Peripherals: Rumble pak, expansion pak etc... with detail on 64DD too.
The Collector's Guide: Top 5 Games to Play, Top 5 Import Games and Top 5 Rarest PAL Games.
The Jewel in The Crown: A game that collectors would love to own.
The Complete Check List of PAL N64 Games: Broken down into sections from 'Very Common' to 'Very Rare', this check list is invaluable to a collector and I can't wait for future check lists (e.g. I'm looking forward to the PAL Neo Geo Pocket Color one, I think that only 39 NGPC games made it to the UK).
Collector Q&A: An N64 collector called Janne Kaitila has a stunning collection of 394 N64 games. Hats off!!
To me this Retro Gamer N64 collector's guide is superb, I hope that they build up loads of these hardware features and release a 'Retro Hardware Collector's Guide Handbook' bookazine.
It's getting exciting now, I have pre-ordered an Aqua Blue 3DS too and I'm really looking forward to Corbie's analysis of Ridge Racer 3D because if it reviews well I will make it my main pick out of the launch games.
Get in, G.G. Shinobi from the off! That's a great start for Game Gear games on 3DS Virtual Console.
I like @Madgear's perspective where he considers announcements like this and how he would have reacted when he was a kid back in the early 90s (comment 22). We would have gone nuts if so many of our favourite handheld games were available on one portable back then. I like to think like that too, it makes me feel grateful for how accessible retro gaming has become today.
I agree with everyone keeping their fingers crossed for the Game Gear's Sonic games, here are a few more of SEGA's nifty handheld titles that I would like to see on 3DS Virtual Console:
GG Shinobi II: The Silent Fury: Sequel to the already brilliant GG Shinobi, which tightened the original's gameplay.
Gunstar Heroes: Cracking port of the Mega Drive game, considering the 8-bit capabilities of the Game Gear.
Streets of Rage 2: SEGA did a fine job on the Master System version of this classic brawler and this Game Gear title is decent too, just don't expect Mega Drive levels of aceness.
Great news, both Game Gear and TurboGrafx-16 are very welcome additions to 3DS's Virtual Console in my eyes. I have noticed that TurboGrafx-16 games have continued to appear on iOS after the sad closure of the US offices of Hudson Entertainment, as well as NES Adventure Island II and N64 Bomberman Hero being announced on Wii Virtual Console, so it looks as though we will continue to be treated to Hudson's retro treasures (of course Hudson did not publish every TG-16 game).
So this is brilliant news all round... All we need now is for Neo Geo Pocket Color and Game Boy Advance games to be announced, although 'all in good time', with these new handheld additions the 3DS's Virtual Console should have plenty of quality early game choices.
My first thoughts about this news was that if there is not a US arm of Hudson to represent their software in the west, then that would have a negative impact upon their titles arriving in western territories. In my head I think that if a US office closes then some titles may never be distributed to us at all, but to be honest I do not know the inner working relationships between a Japanese developer and their international based offices. We are just speculating at the moment.
I often view Hudson's catalogue from a retro perspective, much of my love of Hudson is based upon nostalgia and I am most enthusiastic about their classic games being re-released or updated, although I know that many people are concerned that western gamers could miss out on their new IPs.
I think that it is difficult for the average gamer to predict the impact of this news, we just don't know either the plans of Hudson Soft in Japan, or of Konami regarding future releases of their catalogue.
I follow @HudsonEnt on Twitter and I know that they were promoting the plans for TurboGrafx-16 games to head to PSN and iOS, but I imagine that projects like this are up in the air for the time being. It is definitely worrying that we may never see Bonk: Brink of Extinction on WiiWare, but I guess we will all just have to keep our fingers crossed.
The ball is in Hudson Soft Japan and Konami's court now, we will just have to wait and see.
This is hugely sad news, I imagine that this will have a considerable detrimental impact upon Hudson titles being released in the west, if there is no longer a US localisation arm. Hudson are a legendary company in my eyes, particularly because of its involvement with the PC Engine/ TurboGrafx-16. I sincerely hope that future western releases of its retro classics, and its updates of its classic franchises, are not hit too hard by this.
More importantly, tons of luck to everyone who works for Hudson Entertainment in North America and best wishes to its team for the future.
@moosa Spot on mate, I agree with both of your points:
One of the bugbears in the past, especially regarding UK Nintendo hardware launches, was that there were not enough games on launch day. The Japanese Super Famicom launch was extremely exciting, but gamers complained about the snail-paced release of UK PAL Super Nintendo games, even as they played Super Mario World, F-Zero and Super Tennis. There were complaints that there were not enough GameCube games in the UK on day one and that console had one of my favourite launch titles ever, Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader. With 13 games out for the 3DS on day one, we definitely have lots of variety and choice.
There is lots of potential for quality gameage in the list above, despite stomping my feet like a disgruntled toddler that the games I wanted are not on the list, I could easily be underestimating a future classic. Just on the odds, out of 13 games, at least one is going to achieve a coveted Nlife eight or nine out of ten. The use of 3D in Super Monkey Ball could make it the best game in the franchise and there could be a sleeper hit which people are not talking about as much, perhaps Splinter Cell 3D.
However, because of this and more than ever, I am waiting for Nlife's review analysis of the launch games before I choose. That way I will be sure to pick up the games with the most potential.
@moosa I mentioned E3, because following Nintendo's awesome 2010 press conference I had a list of titles that I was massively looking forward to, but not even one of them is going to be out on day one (Star Fox 64 3D, Resi Revelations, Ocarina of Time 3D, MGS: Snake Eater, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Mario Kart 3DS and Paper Mario). I never thought that they would all arrive on launch day, but I hoped that at least one of them would be available from the first day.
My opinion is split regarding this launch list:
On one side, from the point of view of a fan of video games, there is a lot of common sense being shared in this comments board. It is better for third party sales if there is not a AAA first party title to hog all of the limelight and it would not be fair if one game grabbed all of the early launch sales. It also makes complete sense to stagger the top titles throughout the year, this approach is ultimately better for gamers. This takes into account that this list is the day one launch line-up, more titles will be released in the launch window before E3 2011 (in the GT.com interview Reggie has confirmed that Ocarina and Kid Icarus will not be released in the next four months' launch window, though).
On the other hand as a gamer, and from a selfish point of view, I am ultimately disappointed there is not one single game that will make me want to dart out early on the March 25th to rush home and boot it up to play. I'll still buy 3DS on launch day, but I am not nearly as excited about it anymore.
It is pretty clear that I set my hopes up way to high, because this list is decent enough, but I blew my own expectations out of proportion after such a phenomenal group of games were announced eight months ago at E3.
I'm really pleased to see Ridge Racer 3D back on the list, because I have fond memories of Ridge Racers showcasing the PSP tech back in 2005. I still feel like this is a list of my 'second choice' purchases, the type of games I would have bought after I had bought that one 'must have' title.
I can't wait for Nlife to review these games, because I am going to hold back from my 3DS game purchases until I know for sure that I'm getting a quality title. It is out of PilotWings, Ridge Racer 3D and Lego Star Wars III for me at the moment, although I have an eye on Asphalt too.
I think that I have been really naïve , especially as I was absolutely buzzing from the 2010 E3 list of games, I honestly thought that I would be playing at least one AAA game in the launch window. I know that SSFIV and Dead or Alive are big names in the one-on-one fighting genres, but I was looking forward to playing through a top-class adventure.
It is all about personal preference, but for me PilotWings is a nice and chilled out game, but I was hoping to sink my teeth into more action, whether or not it is Metal Gear, Resi, Kid Icarus, Ocarina or Star Fox. Any one of those games would have made the launch line-up more exciting for me.
However, I sift through weak third-party titles which saturate the current DS shelves and it is clear that Nintendo has a far broader target audience than my fickle tastes, many of whom will be chuffed to have 3D cats available in their latest Nintendogs.
In an interview Reggie said that Nintendo can “never win” and explained that people have been shouting out for PilotWings to be a launch game and that they need to release Mario titles so as to drive hardware sales/ consumer excitement (ie the holidays). I would have actually preferred it if Nintendo would have held the launch back until a more prominent summer shopping season to be able to include just one AAA first or third party game.
It is just a personal point of view, but this list of games has detracted from a hardware launch which I was massively excited about. I’m still saving up to buy 3DS at launch, but now I am actually considering getting Lego Star Wars III, or Asphalt 3D on day one. I was just hoping that I would be viewing a more exciting title the first time I cast my eyes on Nintendo’s 3D tech.
I bought Nemesis instead of this for my Game Boy originally, because I was always much better at it than R-Type, I still only get onto the fourth level of arcade R-Type when playing the PSone version today. Perhaps if Game Boy R-Type is a bit slower, and as Dave says it is consequently easier, I may make more progress by playing this cart.
I figure that you can't have too many versions of this game, it is a true classic, although like @Swerd_Murd says I am more tempted to pick up the extras in R-Type DX on Game Boy Colour. I imagine that R-Type DX would look ace on my SNES's Super Game Boy, presuming that it is compatible with it.
Yep, this looks brilliant, with hints at some NiGHTS-style swirly gameplay it still leaves us guessing about exactly how it plays. I can defo see the Sin & Punishment and Shadow of the Colossus links here too, when you think about it that is a really exciting mix. Even though I'm getting Dead Space 2 this week, I really love bright and colourful video games, there is just something cheerful about a new IP like this, which puts a smile on a gamer's face.
My first thoughts are similar to those of @supernin10do, I know that the two games will control differently, but if they are built from the same engine it will be interesting to see how the 3DS's visuals stack up in direct comparison to the Wii game.
I've been getting into my gaming T-shirts for a little bit now, I prefer it when the design is not too busy, so I really like the way in which Geek Prints use classic hardware logos for their decals. The Dreamcast swirl on James' Tee is iconic, a gamer could recognise that in an instant, and I like the way in which there is a bit of Japanese text on Damo's Mega Drive shirt.
I have wanted a Neo-Geo shirt for ages, so I was well chuffed to receive the red Tee, the 'white Christmas' snow photo was taken of me wearing it on Christmas Day. I think that the bold outline of the Super Famicom in the top pic looks really cool too, that would be a shirt for any retro gaming geek to wear with pride.
Thanks lots to Nlife and Geek Prints, I really appreciate my Neo-Geo T-shirt!
@StarBoy91 I have both the PAL SNES version of Mickey Mania and the PAL PlayStation version of Mickey's Wild Adventure, so I played them both lots as part of this review. To be honest if you are most used to the PSone version then you will notice that it has added extras, which you will miss in the SNES game. For example the PSone title has loads of speech, crisper CD audio (quite a few of its tunes are different), more graphical detail, plus a far more vivid and varied pastel colour palette.
The first part of 'Moose Hunters' and the garden in 'Mickey and the Beanstalk' look great on SNES, but the PlayStation version of those levels burst from the screen with colour. The PlayStation game has more detail to its visuals, with film reel on the side of the screen for the 'Steamboat Willie' level (colour seeps into that level more gradually too), bubbling lava during 'The Mad Doctor' gurney ride and there is occasionally more layers of parallax scrolling happening on-screen.
The PSone game also has a second out-of-the-screen chase section involving Willie the Giant, an extra rotating tower section earlier on and a secret bonus level based upon 1935's 'The Band Concert', in which you navigate upwards through a whirlwind by jumping on blue crates. The only frustrating part about the bonus level is that you only get one attempt at it, if you fall off a crate you start back in Willie the Giant's garden instead. As long as you take these differences into account you will still get lots out of the SNES game, after all the PlayStation hardware was far more powerful, yet the gameplay, level design and animations are essentially the same.
@WaveBoy I have a real soft spot for the Mega Drive's Castle of Illusion, I would be well up for reviewing that game and I am sure a number of Nlife's other writers would love to review it too. However, the Nlife 'Retro' section concentrates on Nintendo systems, so the only way you are likely to see a review for it here is if it was ever to be released on Virtual Console. Fingers crossed that SEGA can find a way to sort out a licensing deal, because that game would be an awesome platforming addition to the Mega Drive section of Virtual Console.
There is no two ways about it, I am a fan of The Lord of the Rings, even if it did take me a whole summer to read the books when I was 16! Therefore, I think that other Middle Earth fans will be most forgiving of the repetition and easy difficulty level to be found here, plus they will appreciate the variety of locations in its 17 chapters.
DS Aragorn's Quest's 8 hour game length is decent, although it really needs more set pieces. Even DSiWare's Hero of Sparta had some variety to its action, with a huge cyclops in the background attempting to crush you, as that game took inspiration from God of War. Then again Hero of Sparta's game length is much shorter than in Aragorn's Quest and TT Fusion's game has extra Arenas to unlock as you progress, too.
@JayArr Ha, ha, they are pretty maps indeed and fairly functional. They only display the areas which you have already explored and open up as you progress, but they are handy to find fires to light your torch, Elven health pools and for entrance/exit points on the levels. There is not that much to discover though, and progress in this game is linear.
Great stuff Jon, it sounds like Eurocom have done a quality job at reinventing GoldenEye for modern gamers, while still retaining enough old-school elements for old fogies like me, such as ditching health regeneration for the 007 Classic difficulty level. Fair play to the devs for achieving that, pleasing both retro-heads and modern FPS-nuts is quite a balancing act!
I don't mind too much that it is short, although it is a bit of a shame that the extra objectives are not hugely exciting. This is one game with which I should be able to convince some of my PC-lovin' mates to boot up a blast of local multiplayer, based upon it presenting a new way to rekindle old memories.
From what Jon says though, despite my N64 nostalgia, it sounds like I'll opt to play the new GoldenEye with the Wii Remote.
@KingMike I played loads of Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt for the review and I did not spot any of the glitches you mention. I played it during the 90s too, and I don't remember finding or reading about any bugs back then, but during my research for the review I found a site which mentioned that pressing the 'Select' button can cause a glitch which can reset all of your lives.
I decided to test this pretty rigorously, I spent loads of time playing the bathroom level, because as you mention that is where the glitch seems to turn up. Basically, there is a dull and tiresome method of gaining extra lives during the swimming section, where Pugsley can bounce off the fish bones that the cats throw at you. This earns 1,600 points each time, so you can save up for a 1-Up with every 50,000 points earned. I spent ages on this level building extra lives, and pressing Select to try and trip the bug and intentionally wipe my lives. I even left the 'Checklist' menu screen, which is activated by pressing Select, paused for over an hour and a half to force it to bug out. No matter how hard I tried, my PAL copy never crashed and all of my extra lives remained.
A bigger issue to me was the lack of a save option, or even a password system. I decided to leave my SNES on constantly for about seven hours, because I did not want to lose the items I had gathered on Pugsley's checklist, which would have happened if I switched the SNES off to leave the flat to pick up my girlfriend! I did not come across any random resetting even during these prolonged periods, in which the game was left running.
That is why I did not mention anything about glitches in the review, because they never happened with my PAL cart, so I could not verify their existence. I wonder if it only happens with the US version of the game. If anyone else comes across a bug with this game, like KingMike found when he was a kid, it would be helpful if you could post the details about them here. Cheers.
Comments 506
Re: Review: Thor: God of Thunder (3DS)
@Zach Thanks mate, I enjoyed reading your review of the Wii game, it was helpful in my research towards reviewing this version. There were signs early on that Wii Thor: God of Thunder had not been optimised for 3DS, for example the bottom screen menu selections do not even work with the touch screen. I did not exactly expect the free version of the Thor themed Avengers animation to be in 3D, but they could have worked on the cut-scenes to take advantage of the unique 3D capabilities of the hardware.
@BulbasaurusRex I thought that the inclusion of motion controls for Force powers in Wii Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II were fun, the four-player fighting game in that title was a welcome addition too, at least it showed that Red Fly were putting extra effort into the Wii version.
@Retro_on_theGo Yep, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game on PSN is ace, it's both respectful to the license and an homage to classic side-scrolling beat-'em-ups, especially Konami's colourful and expressively animated arcade games like TMNT: Turtles in Time and The Simpsons Arcade.
@crazyj2312 and @Milkman-123 I fully agree, Batman: Arkham Asylum is a benchmark for the standard that can be achieved when a developer truly understands the intricacies of a comic book hero and is brave enough to extend beyond the confines of a film license.
On that note it's worth mentioning that I have just finished writing a review of a DS game, one that I consider to be a swan song title for the system. It goes live today and is a good example of a developer expanding upon a movie licence and fully understanding why fans love the film. In this case it continues after a classic Sci-fi flick. The review goes live today, can you guess what it is yet?
Re: Talking Point: The Most Memorable Third Party Game Boy Advance Games
@Ristar42 Agreed on a number of points mate, I have Retro Gamer Issue 94 too, and I can second your recommendation of it for the GBA article. It looks at twenty notable games that were not remakes and has a box-out for special mention of another five titles (including the TMNT game by Ubisoft Montreal, that played like an homage to Konami's colourful side-scrolling brawlers). Plus there is a two page 'Future Classic' spread on GBA Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.
I hear you about Shinobi on GBA, I read such bad things about that game that I never invested in it to try it for myself. In some respects it sullied the fine name that is The Revenge of Shinobi. I would love to find out that it was not as bad as the reviews described, but I am doubtful.
I have brilliant memories of recapturing SEGA's '80s arcade days, by playing SEGA Arcade Gallery while I was on holiday in France. With OutRun, Space Harrier, After Burner and Super Hang On available on one cart it was a quality compilation, especially since I had not played Super Hang On since the Mega Drive days. Unfortunately the GBA compilation SEGA Smash Pack had a completely dire conversion of Golden Axe that disappointed considering the GBA's capabilities.
Re: Talking Point: The Most Memorable Third Party Game Boy Advance Games
I think that this list does a great job of showing the diversity of genres available on GBA and that there are plenty of third-party treats available, to complement Nintendo's own classics.
I personally have very similar taste in games to @Mickeymac and @Ristar42, that is something that I have noticed in my time at Nlife. However, the challenge of compiling a list like this is to allow for a variety of gamer's tastes.
For example, I love Double Dragon Advance, but Final Fight One is still an incredibly relevant beat-'em-up conversion. Similarly, I have tons of time and appreciation for Gunstar Super Heroes, but I can see how Astro Boy: Omega Factor is arguably the more rounded, accomplished and deserving title to make the list.
The other challenge I see in compiling a list like this is that the Sonic Advance and Castlevania series of games each appeared three times on GBA. You could have an entire forum thread debating which is the best GBA Castlevania or Sonic Advance game, but I am honestly happy to see any of those six games appearing here.
Ultimately, I think that if you invested in all ten of these games, you would have a cracking collection of third-party games for your GBA.
...and if you own Ninja Five-O, please send it to me, it is not worth that much money. I'm sure you won't miss it.
Re: Site News: A Better Nintendo Life
It's brilliant to see Nintendo Life constantly growing and moving forward, I am always impressed by the commitment of the team in providing Ninty-based content for the site, as well as the graft that the Editors and Admin staff manage in the background.
All of your hard work has paid off with news like this. I look forward to seeing the improvements that you have planned for the future.
Heaps of congratulations on the Eurogamer advertising partnership.
Superb news.
Re: Retro Computer Museum Now Has a Permanent Home
This is great news, having a permanent base will give Retro Computer Museum more stability and hopefully help it to gain increased attention from gamers and museum visitors.
If events and exhibitions become more frequent, then that is excellent news for the UK's retro community.
Re: Review: Sonic Advance (Game Boy Advance)
Thanks for the comments everyone, I can feel the Sonic Advance love in this room, good on you all!
(Cheers @Kid_A, that was a sound thing to say).
@shinesprite Nice call on the Sonic Adventure DX GBA/ GCN link connection, you make a good point mate, I did not discuss it as much here because the GameCube Director's Cut version of Adventure came out a couple of years after GCN Sonic Adventure 2: Battle and GBA Sonic Advance (which felt a little bit back-to-front to me, as I did not own a Dreamcast to play them in correct order).
@JirachiFan Yep, you're right, Cream's first appearance was in Sonic Advance 2. The four controllable characters in the first Sonic Advance are Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy.
@Swithom I am glad you mentioned the Egg Rocket Zone from Zone 6 (Act 1), because I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with that level. I love it really, because the concept of a rocket rumbling and preparing to launch into space is cool, but it is the toughest and longest level in the game, with a more maze-like design. It also has a large number of bottomless pits, some I found to be unfairly placed next to trampolines ricocheting Sonic into instant oblivion if I did not land perfectly on a moving spring. Then again, I like a challenge, and Egg Rocket Zone is the level that I've played the most in Sonic Advance.
What do you guys think of Egg Rocket Zone?
Re: Feature: Sonic: The Nintendo Years - Part Two
This feature actually highlights how much I have enjoyed Sonic games in recent years - from the hectic, on-rails feel of Sonic and the Secret Rings, to the 2D design skill that Dimps and Sonic Team brought to both Sonic Rush games.
I really think that Sonic has reached a high-standard with his recent output, including Sonic Colours and I have lots of time for Sonic 4: Episode I. I actually consider the PS3 version of Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing to be one of my favourite kart racers. Sumo Digital injected so much energy into that title.
Ha ha, I think I will use this article as a reference point in the future, as proof that Sonic games have emerged from the shadows of a few less savoury titles (games like the 2006 PS3/Xbox 360 Sonic the Hedgehog, that are regarded as being unworthy of his classic character status).
Re: Feature: Sonic: The Nintendo Years - Part One
@Incognito_D Traveller’s Tales really took advantage of a brilliant opportunity and created a fun racer in Sonic R.
In many ways I think that it has been a bit underrated over time, although the original Saturn version received a decent review from Official SEGA Saturn Magazine (Issue 26, Dec1997). I advise that you pick up a cheap copy of GCN or PSN Sonic Gems Collection, if you find it at a good price.
I agree about the Sonic R soundtrack, I tap my toes to it as I race along and find myself singing 'Can You Feel the Sunshine' long after I turn the console off!
Re: Feature: Sonic: The Nintendo Years - Part One
@James Brilliant article, I can't wait to read the second part of it.
In many ways the colour, pace and charm of the Sonic character was a perfect fit for Nintendo platforms, once the dust had long settled from the ferociousness of the 16-bit wars.
Re: Feature: The Sonic Games That Never Were
Great stuff James, I love the subject matter for this feature, there is something mystical about games that have been lost in time, especially when they involve a character as iconic as Sonic.
This is the type of feature that I keep returning to, I really enjoy learning about extra bits of specialist knowledge, it is good to dig deep into more unusual topics from the history vaults of video games.
Re: Review: Thor: God of Thunder (DS)
Thank you for the comments guys, I always appreciate feedback from Nlife's readers, and I am particularly pleased to hear that the review has helped to put this game back on the radar for a few of you. Props right back at @LTD, it is kind of you to mention my review's attention to detail, I'm glad you found it informative.
Hopefully the review conveys that I am a fan of side-scrolling beat-'em-ups, whether it is a 'street punk' brawler or a fantasy hack-and-slash game, I have loved this genre since my friend showed me Renegade on the Amstrad CPC 464 and after I first played arcade Double Dragon in 1987. The genre had its heyday during the early 1990s, however I touch upon the issue of repetitiveness here and it is not a new issue for this game-type. Titles like arcade Golden Axe avoided it by keeping the game-length incredibly short, but I have heard gamers argue that even a title as great as Streets of Rage 2 can become monotonous.
In regard to DS Thor: God of Thunder it is worth noting that each of the 21 acts is a fairly snappy length, averaging about 8 minutes each, which works well for a handheld game. I also think that the way in which a player approaches the combat makes a huge difference: if you button mash your way through Story mode then it will become repetitive, but if you mix-up attacks then it feels far more exciting (e.g. diving past enemies with R, launching between dual-screens, ground slamming, charging smash attacks, throwing Mjölnir, grabbing enemies, uppercut swings and performing God Powers). If a gamer is creative with their attacks it adds diversity to the action and the game becomes more fun.
A 2D beat-'em-up fan will love playing through Story mode to meet the game's bosses, which start off brilliantly, but get better and better as you progress. Just wait until you first meet Ymir in Chapter III (Act III), I honestly believe that you will be stunned by the presentation of that battle and later bosses are just as amazing.
You could say that the bosses in this game are completely Thor-some! (oh dear).
Re: This is the Wii U Controller in All Its Glory
I really like the look of it, although I am interested in learning more about its physical depth, the back of it looked a bit chunky in the videos. I can't wait to read impressions about how the Wii U's controller feels to hold and what it is like to play games with.
The reel of third party games trailer in the conference demonstrated a few FPS games, so perhaps devs will be more keen to port PS3/ Xbox games using the two Circle Pads without worrying about changing their core system to incorporate motion controls.
I enjoyed the devs description of it as a 'Swiss army knife', with the touch screen, accelerometer, motion controls, rumble and twin circle pads this controller can cope with pretty much any game genre.
Nice design, Nintendo.
Re: Fact Sheet: Wii U - 1080p HD confirmed, No BluRay
Regarding the graphical capabilities, I think that the way in which Nintendo were able to extract the very best visuals from the Wii in games like Super Mario Galaxy 2 bodes well for some stunning looking first party Wii U games.
My only slight concern is if Microsoft or Sony announce a powerful next gen successor to Xbox 360/ PS3 at next year's E3, then Wii U's capabilities could look old before their time. In that situation, third parties may move their development to the more technically advanced competition.
That is just speculation though and I am feeling far more optimistic about Wii U, the controller enables a plethora of fresh gameplay opportunities and the visuals in the conference's tech demo proves that Wii U's graphics will still be lush. I think that the screen on the controller will lead to lots of third party exclusive games, too.
I am disappointed if Wii U is not backwards compatible with GameCube, but at least we can play our Wii games on it.
Ha, ha, could someone check if Wii U has a hidden flap hiding ports for GameCube controllers? ...You never know!
Re: Mario Kart 3DS Drives, Glides and Dives this Year
To me kart racers epitomise Christmas gaming, I first played the original SNES Super Mario Kart, GCN Mario Kart: Double Dash and Mario Kart Wii on Christmas Day.
Mario Kart 3DS looked fantastic during the E3 conference, I especially liked when the karts raced underwater with little propellers and the hang glider moments. At a glance it looked like there will be classic DS tracks in there too. The variety of vehicles looks quite wild, but wackiness is part of the Mario Kart fun.
I'm interested to hear how Corbie thinks the 3DS game compares graphically to the Wii and GCN titles.
Re: Moon Diver Creator has a Much Better Idea for a 3DS Game
This is a quality bit of news, it was a nice find James, cheers for sharing it. Although Kouichi Yotsui does not reveal much it is enough for me to hear that he thinks that 3DS is "wonderful" and that he is interested in developing for it with a "far better game idea."
@motang I agree fully, the word "awesome" is completely accurate to describe both Mega Drive and Arcade Strider.
Alongside feelplus, Yotsui did a great job on Moon Diver, so I look forward to his future games as a 'Planner', his work suited Square Enix's style well. I especially hope that his next game makes use of parallax scrolling overlapping in a 2D/ 2.5D graphical style, but with layers of depth on the 3D screen.
Re: Zelda: Ocarina of Time Reaches Europe on 17th June
Yippee! Nine weeks, three days & counting...
Tick, tick, tick, tick...
Re: Guides: Using QR Codes on Your Nintendo 3DS
Cheers lots to Corbie, I was distracted by Pilotwings Resort and Ridge Racer 3D, it was not until he got in touch with the Nlife team about this article that I started to dabble in saving/ sharing my Mii and messing around with scanning QR codes.
This is such a fun feature of the 3DS, and what Corbie has written is a fun feature about such a fun feature of the 3DS.
Awesomesauce!
Re: Happy Two-Year "Nintendo Life" Anniversary
Superb stuff! "Happy Anniversary Nlife!" You all rock!
Re: Review: The Sims 3 (3DS)
@sillygostly Thanks for your comment, it’s always good to hear an alternative viewpoint. A big element of a Sims game is time management, so I’m glad you mastered a method to manage the more menial Sims tasks. I felt that mundane chores upset the balance and dominated the game detrimentally, this took away from my enjoyment, but each gamer enjoys different things.
In regard to the score, I consciously made a decision that if a gamer purchased a new 3DS, this game would give them a poor first impression of the hardware. It was not just bugs, but awkward design choices that informed my scoring decision. For example, I read a review of this game on a prominent site today (a day after my review), that independently found the same bug as me. This was where after 15 hours play my Sim’s radio broke, but sat in limbo, I could not select it to repair it. It was small, but it is not coincidence that two gaming sites encountered the same problem.
There is a design flaw which I encountered involving character creation, caused by vague and unhelpful menus when creating outfits, haircuts etc, for daytime, nightwear and sports gear. Tiny nondescript tabs could lead gamers new to the Sims to be flummoxed in understanding they're supposed to create more that one outfit. Again I know that a large gaming site has mentioned this exact problem, completely independently of us coming across it.
My expectations of this were far higher than the DS game, considering that 3DS has been described as having specs which are comparable to a GameCube, or even a Wii. It is not just that the visuals are bland, but they are clumsy, entire walls blocked my top screen in the default view. I also own Ridge Racer 3D and Pilotwings Resort, and while they are different genres, the level of polish feels like a generation ahead of this, I know how I would spend my £35.
A review involves a certain amount of subjectivity and we all have our own tastes and opinions. Most importantly I am pleased you are getting enjoyment out of it, your opinion is just as valid as mine, and you make a good point when you say, “There's plenty to enjoy here for social sims and fans of dating games”. Have lots of fun with Super Street Fighter IV too, mate. Cheers.
Re: Review: The Sims 3 (3DS)
@slapshot82 The Sims 3 on 3DS is actually more suited for gamers with the teeniest bit of a playful sadistic streak, because it is UK Pegi rated as a 12, when the DS game was a Pegi 7, so more mature content is available (eg your Sim can perish).
@Stine I agree completely, I found the load screens tiresome, because the town areas are small anyway, so there can't be that much data to load and each load is over 20 seconds long (travelling to town and another load for home again). I think with more development time a Sims dev could create a much more immersive world, by utilising the superior 3DS tech specs for larger, more varied locations and a better flowing, continuous feel to the game world.
It is a shame that the 'Save Game' times are long too, particularly as there is no autosave, and I think that it would have been beneficial for the player to have the choice of more than one save game slot.
Re: Review: The Sims 3 (3DS)
@slapshot82 I am up to 25 hours playtime with The Sims 3 now and even though my Sim has failed miserably to instigate WooHoo, despite both Sims (wife and husband) having a full friendship/ romance meter and hearts popping up all over the place, all hope is not lost.
On the 3DS's main 'Home Menu', where the Sims 3 item rotates there is clearly a picture of a bed with Sim's under the covers and hearts spinning above the bed sheets. They may well be making WooHoo!
Re: Review: The Sims 3 (3DS)
There is still a surprising amount of depth to The Sims 3, the way in which an action will have a consequence, so how you manage your Sim inter-relates between Moodlets, Skills, Wishes and Careers. This makes it all the more frustrating that there are only two small towns to visit, because The Sims Studio have built the core Sims template, but there is no variety to the locations. Anyhow, I could not discuss everything in the review, so below is some extra information that may be of interest to Sims fans:
If anyone has any further specific questions about this game, I will hang out on this comments board to answer them. Cheers.
Re: Tesco Slashes 3DS to Low Low Price of £175
@RadioShadow and @Laxeybobby: It does not cost £197, I just bought one this morning and whilst it says £197 on the receipt they take £22 off straight away (included as 'Additional Savings' on my receipt).
I bought a 3DS from Tesco today and it definitely only cost me £175.
Re: Tesco Slashes 3DS to Low Low Price of £175
@Dazza I am chuffed mate, when pre-orders first came out in HMV/ Game/ Gamestation etc I honestly thought that I would have to pay £230 just for the 3DS. I got the 3DS and two games for just £245! Result!
Re: Tesco Slashes 3DS to Low Low Price of £175
I have just bought my Aqua Blue 3DS from Tesco, in-store at Bidston Moss just outside Birkenhead, and I can confirm that this offer is 100% correct. A Tesco 3DS costs £175, but you have to buy a £34.90 game with the offer.
Therefore, the total Tesco price for a 3DS with a game is £209.90.
For example I bought:
A complete and utter bargain! Thanks lots for this news Nlife and cheers @James Newton!
Re: Review: Pilotwings Resort (3DS)
It's fun to read Corbie's reviews and his tweets about these 3DS launch games, it is like he is chronicling a journey as he takes in early 3DS treats from Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition to Super Monkey Ball 3D and now Pilotwings Resort, with Rayman 3D next. Great stuff.
The 3DS launch is the most indecisive that I've been about picking which title to buy first, with DS and GBA I knew which games I wanted from the outset. After reading this review Pilotwings Resort has become my top contender, though. I understand the arguments that there have been changes to the series since the SNES and N64 games and I realise that some people are saying that the presentation of this one loses some of the goofy, quirky designs of Pilotwings 64, but I still think there is a lot of charm and Nintendo style lavished on Wuhu Island.
I need to make my mind up fast, there are only three more days to go.
Re: Review: Ridge Racer 3D (3DS)
I have had this game pencilled in as my main 3DS launch game since it was added to the UK release list and this review answers all of my questions, so there is still a good chance that I will buy this on March 25th. I have enjoyed the arcade exuberance of this series since my jaw-dropped seeing the coin-op in 1994 and it has been a game which I now associate with many a console launch, particularly with the PlayStation systems, as I picture the brand new release of PSone, PS2, PSP and PS3 all using a Ridge Racer title to showcase the tech.
Therefore, it is a selling point to me that Ridge Racer 3DS "feels like a celebration of previous efforts", I know that I will enjoy revisiting classic tracks in 3D. I am interested in the feedback on this title regarding eye-strain and acclimatisation, I have heard gamers including Damo discussing this on Twitter and it seems as though it is a difficult issue to pinpoint, because it is dependant upon each individual's eyesight.
My only tiny niggle with this game is regarding its graphical fidelity, I remember being blown away by Ridge Racers on my Japanese PSP in late 2004/ early 2005, so it seems a bit disappointing that a brand spanking new bit of Nintendo hardware does not really exceed that visual benchmark, because the first PSP game is over six years old now. It is not all about the graphics though, I'm confident that I will be won over by a nostalgic take on the Ridge Racer arcade gameplay in this title.
It's good to go into a purchase of this game knowing that it is fun, but it obviously has shortcomings. Cheers Damo.
Re: Interviews: Scroll's Ray Barnholt Talks SNES and New-Age Fanzines
I have pinched $12.32 (£7.81) out of my 3DS fund to treat myself to the print version of the first issue of SCROLL including P&P, I couldn't resist it since it "features a celebration of the SNES", which is possibly my favourite console of all time. MagCloud's post and packaging price of $2.32 from the US to the UK seemed very reasonable too, so I'm looking forward to reading Ray's breakdown of the history of the SNES and an "import-centric" vibe when the mag arrives over the next couple of weeks.
An interesting interview Damo, thanks for bringing this zine to our attention. Just like @slapshot82, I have followed the relevant Twitter feeds for SCROLL and Ray too.
Re: Review: Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition (3DS)
I can only get one 3DS game at launch, depending upon the Nlife review it will be Ridge Racer 3D, partially because whenever I visit my cousin's house his competitive game of choice is always PS3 SSFIV, so I have played tons of that game recently. However, even though I am not going to buy Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition straight away I may pick it up later on, based upon how well it has been received here.
The 3DS has got off to a cracking start, I enjoyed reading the first ever Nlife 3DS review, by receiving such a high appraisal Capcom has set the bar high for the other launch games. I also think that the SSFIV artwork looks completely brilliant set in the banner with the new pillar box red colouring of the 3DS section. Great work all round!
Re: Retro Gamer Celebrates the N64 with Special Issue
Shucks, there I was chatting away about both Retro Gamer N64 features and I didn't put two and two together and credit Nlife's retro reviewer @Mayhem for his contribution to them in my comment either. Sorry about that Mat, I didn't realise until after I read your comment. I had a flick through my mags and noticed that you wrote the Retro Gamer hardware articles about the C64, VIC-20 and Vectrex too. Fair play, I read them first time around but I think that I will return to them now, I could definitely use more knowledge about Vectrex and VIC-20 (my mate had one), and I am nostalgic about C64 (my second computer after an Acorn Electron). Great work on the N64 pieces too, mate.
@Mikanes Wow, Janne Kaitila's (finngamer) collection is amazing, thanks for sharing the links to his YouTube vids, I feel humbled as a retro gamer by such an achievement. Fingers crossed that he is able to get hold of those elusive Japanese N64 games, hopefully someone can help him find them following his appearance in the latest issue of Retro Gamer.
@Ristar42 Snap, I buy reprints too, plus I find the handbooks and bookazines to be excellent, because they have so much detailed information all in one convenient to access place. Alongside every issue of the mag and the two hardware handbooks I have the four volumes of 'Retro Gamer Collection', as well as the two smaller early releases of the 'Retro Gamer Anthology', the first of which was published by Live Publishing before the sterling work of Imagine Publishing on the mag (which you note above).
I am a huge fan of gaming magazines (retro and current) and Retro Gamer is one of my favourite mags of all time, although special mention should also go to gamesTM's 'Retro' section, which has many years of coverage under its belt resulting in three more huge bookazines which are definitely worth a read too. I should not forget Edge's retro pieces too, they also have a number of ace Retro special mags. Great stuff!
Re: Retro Gamer Celebrates the N64 with Special Issue
@Raylax In my eyes it's cool to see an Nlife news piece on this article, I think that an 'N64 Collector's Guide' feature as in-depth as the one adorning the cover of Retro Gamer Issue 87 will be of interest to any N64 fan, not just gamers based in UK.
@sykotek The controversy is two-fold, as Retro Gamer's editor Darran Jones explains first of all many of the mag's cover art has been stunning over the years, so some people think that by comparison a nice hardware pic is not quite as innovative a cover (I like the N64 cover), and secondly Retro Gamer has already covered the N64 as a retroinspection way back in Issue 31. The Issue 31 retroinspection can also be found re-printed in the completely awesome Videogames Hardware Handbook Volume 1.
Therefore the mag is consciously writing for different readers, people like me and @Ristar42 who have every single issue of the mag and newer readers who have not read their hardware features first time around. They have achieved this by compiling their future hardware pieces with a focus upon a collector's perspective, the N64 article is laid out as:
To me this Retro Gamer N64 collector's guide is superb, I hope that they build up loads of these hardware features and release a 'Retro Hardware Collector's Guide Handbook' bookazine.
Re: 3DS Arrives at Nintendo Life
It's getting exciting now, I have pre-ordered an Aqua Blue 3DS too and I'm really looking forward to Corbie's analysis of Ridge Racer 3D because if it reviews well I will make it my main pick out of the launch games.
Re: Sega Names First Game Gear Games for 3DS Virtual Console
Get in, G.G. Shinobi from the off! That's a great start for Game Gear games on 3DS Virtual Console.
I like @Madgear's perspective where he considers announcements like this and how he would have reacted when he was a kid back in the early 90s (comment 22). We would have gone nuts if so many of our favourite handheld games were available on one portable back then. I like to think like that too, it makes me feel grateful for how accessible retro gaming has become today.
Re: Game Gear and TurboGrafx-16 Coming to 3DS Virtual Console
I agree with everyone keeping their fingers crossed for the Game Gear's Sonic games, here are a few more of SEGA's nifty handheld titles that I would like to see on 3DS Virtual Console:
I'm getting really excited about the possibilities of 3DS's Virtual Console now.
Re: Game Gear and TurboGrafx-16 Coming to 3DS Virtual Console
@EdEN I will be buzzing if they announce Atari Lynx games for it.
Re: Game Gear and TurboGrafx-16 Coming to 3DS Virtual Console
Great news, both Game Gear and TurboGrafx-16 are very welcome additions to 3DS's Virtual Console in my eyes. I have noticed that TurboGrafx-16 games have continued to appear on iOS after the sad closure of the US offices of Hudson Entertainment, as well as NES Adventure Island II and N64 Bomberman Hero being announced on Wii Virtual Console, so it looks as though we will continue to be treated to Hudson's retro treasures (of course Hudson did not publish every TG-16 game).
So this is brilliant news all round... All we need now is for Neo Geo Pocket Color and Game Boy Advance games to be announced, although 'all in good time', with these new handheld additions the 3DS's Virtual Console should have plenty of quality early game choices.
Re: Hudson Entertainment Closes its Doors, Cancels its Projects
My first thoughts about this news was that if there is not a US arm of Hudson to represent their software in the west, then that would have a negative impact upon their titles arriving in western territories. In my head I think that if a US office closes then some titles may never be distributed to us at all, but to be honest I do not know the inner working relationships between a Japanese developer and their international based offices. We are just speculating at the moment.
I often view Hudson's catalogue from a retro perspective, much of my love of Hudson is based upon nostalgia and I am most enthusiastic about their classic games being re-released or updated, although I know that many people are concerned that western gamers could miss out on their new IPs.
I think that it is difficult for the average gamer to predict the impact of this news, we just don't know either the plans of Hudson Soft in Japan, or of Konami regarding future releases of their catalogue.
I follow @HudsonEnt on Twitter and I know that they were promoting the plans for TurboGrafx-16 games to head to PSN and iOS, but I imagine that projects like this are up in the air for the time being. It is definitely worrying that we may never see Bonk: Brink of Extinction on WiiWare, but I guess we will all just have to keep our fingers crossed.
The ball is in Hudson Soft Japan and Konami's court now, we will just have to wait and see.
Re: Hudson Entertainment Closes its Doors, Cancels its Projects
@Aronos Here is a link to a different site, as Morgan Haro's (Hudson Entertainment brand manager) blog post has reappeared at Develop-online.net.
Re: Hudson Entertainment Closes its Doors, Cancels its Projects
This is hugely sad news, I imagine that this will have a considerable detrimental impact upon Hudson titles being released in the west, if there is no longer a US localisation arm. Hudson are a legendary company in my eyes, particularly because of its involvement with the PC Engine/ TurboGrafx-16. I sincerely hope that future western releases of its retro classics, and its updates of its classic franchises, are not hit too hard by this.
More importantly, tons of luck to everyone who works for Hudson Entertainment in North America and best wishes to its team for the future.
Re: Nintendo Announces Official 3DS UK Launch Line-Up
@moosa Spot on mate, I agree with both of your points:
One of the bugbears in the past, especially regarding UK Nintendo hardware launches, was that there were not enough games on launch day. The Japanese Super Famicom launch was extremely exciting, but gamers complained about the snail-paced release of UK PAL Super Nintendo games, even as they played Super Mario World, F-Zero and Super Tennis. There were complaints that there were not enough GameCube games in the UK on day one and that console had one of my favourite launch titles ever, Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader. With 13 games out for the 3DS on day one, we definitely have lots of variety and choice.
There is lots of potential for quality gameage in the list above, despite stomping my feet like a disgruntled toddler that the games I wanted are not on the list, I could easily be underestimating a future classic. Just on the odds, out of 13 games, at least one is going to achieve a coveted Nlife eight or nine out of ten. The use of 3D in Super Monkey Ball could make it the best game in the franchise and there could be a sleeper hit which people are not talking about as much, perhaps Splinter Cell 3D.
However, because of this and more than ever, I am waiting for Nlife's review analysis of the launch games before I choose. That way I will be sure to pick up the games with the most potential.
Re: Nintendo Announces Official 3DS UK Launch Line-Up
@moosa I mentioned E3, because following Nintendo's awesome 2010 press conference I had a list of titles that I was massively looking forward to, but not even one of them is going to be out on day one (Star Fox 64 3D, Resi Revelations, Ocarina of Time 3D, MGS: Snake Eater, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Mario Kart 3DS and Paper Mario). I never thought that they would all arrive on launch day, but I hoped that at least one of them would be available from the first day.
My opinion is split regarding this launch list:
Re: Nintendo Announces Official 3DS UK Launch Line-Up
It is pretty clear that I set my hopes up way to high, because this list is decent enough, but I blew my own expectations out of proportion after such a phenomenal group of games were announced eight months ago at E3.
I'm really pleased to see Ridge Racer 3D back on the list, because I have fond memories of Ridge Racers showcasing the PSP tech back in 2005. I still feel like this is a list of my 'second choice' purchases, the type of games I would have bought after I had bought that one 'must have' title.
I can't wait for Nlife to review these games, because I am going to hold back from my 3DS game purchases until I know for sure that I'm getting a quality title. It is out of PilotWings, Ridge Racer 3D and Lego Star Wars III for me at the moment, although I have an eye on Asphalt too.
Re: Europe's 3DS Launch Line-Up According to Gamestation
I think that I have been really naïve , especially as I was absolutely buzzing from the 2010 E3 list of games, I honestly thought that I would be playing at least one AAA game in the launch window. I know that SSFIV and Dead or Alive are big names in the one-on-one fighting genres, but I was looking forward to playing through a top-class adventure.
It is all about personal preference, but for me PilotWings is a nice and chilled out game, but I was hoping to sink my teeth into more action, whether or not it is Metal Gear, Resi, Kid Icarus, Ocarina or Star Fox. Any one of those games would have made the launch line-up more exciting for me.
However, I sift through weak third-party titles which saturate the current DS shelves and it is clear that Nintendo has a far broader target audience than my fickle tastes, many of whom will be chuffed to have 3D cats available in their latest Nintendogs.
In an interview Reggie said that Nintendo can “never win” and explained that people have been shouting out for PilotWings to be a launch game and that they need to release Mario titles so as to drive hardware sales/ consumer excitement (ie the holidays). I would have actually preferred it if Nintendo would have held the launch back until a more prominent summer shopping season to be able to include just one AAA first or third party game.
It is just a personal point of view, but this list of games has detracted from a hardware launch which I was massively excited about. I’m still saving up to buy 3DS at launch, but now I am actually considering getting Lego Star Wars III, or Asphalt 3D on day one. I was just hoping that I would be viewing a more exciting title the first time I cast my eyes on Nintendo’s 3D tech.
Re: Review: R-Type (Game Boy)
I bought Nemesis instead of this for my Game Boy originally, because I was always much better at it than R-Type, I still only get onto the fourth level of arcade R-Type when playing the PSone version today. Perhaps if Game Boy R-Type is a bit slower, and as Dave says it is consequently easier, I may make more progress by playing this cart.
I figure that you can't have too many versions of this game, it is a true classic, although like @Swerd_Murd says I am more tempted to pick up the extras in R-Type DX on Game Boy Colour. I imagine that R-Type DX would look ace on my SNES's Super Game Boy, presuming that it is compatible with it.
Brilliant review, Dave.
Re: Rodea the Sky Soldier Flying to Wii and 3DS
Yep, this looks brilliant, with hints at some NiGHTS-style swirly gameplay it still leaves us guessing about exactly how it plays. I can defo see the Sin & Punishment and Shadow of the Colossus links here too, when you think about it that is a really exciting mix. Even though I'm getting Dead Space 2 this week, I really love bright and colourful video games, there is just something cheerful about a new IP like this, which puts a smile on a gamer's face.
My first thoughts are similar to those of @supernin10do, I know that the two games will control differently, but if they are built from the same engine it will be interesting to see how the 3DS's visuals stack up in direct comparison to the Wii game.
Re: Interview: Geek Prints - Retro Video Game Clothing
I've been getting into my gaming T-shirts for a little bit now, I prefer it when the design is not too busy, so I really like the way in which Geek Prints use classic hardware logos for their decals. The Dreamcast swirl on James' Tee is iconic, a gamer could recognise that in an instant, and I like the way in which there is a bit of Japanese text on Damo's Mega Drive shirt.
I have wanted a Neo-Geo shirt for ages, so I was well chuffed to receive the red Tee, the 'white Christmas' snow photo was taken of me wearing it on Christmas Day. I think that the bold outline of the Super Famicom in the top pic looks really cool too, that would be a shirt for any retro gaming geek to wear with pride.
Thanks lots to Nlife and Geek Prints, I really appreciate my Neo-Geo T-shirt!
Re: Review: Mickey Mania (Super Nintendo)
@StarBoy91 I have both the PAL SNES version of Mickey Mania and the PAL PlayStation version of Mickey's Wild Adventure, so I played them both lots as part of this review. To be honest if you are most used to the PSone version then you will notice that it has added extras, which you will miss in the SNES game. For example the PSone title has loads of speech, crisper CD audio (quite a few of its tunes are different), more graphical detail, plus a far more vivid and varied pastel colour palette.
The first part of 'Moose Hunters' and the garden in 'Mickey and the Beanstalk' look great on SNES, but the PlayStation version of those levels burst from the screen with colour. The PlayStation game has more detail to its visuals, with film reel on the side of the screen for the 'Steamboat Willie' level (colour seeps into that level more gradually too), bubbling lava during 'The Mad Doctor' gurney ride and there is occasionally more layers of parallax scrolling happening on-screen.
The PSone game also has a second out-of-the-screen chase section involving Willie the Giant, an extra rotating tower section earlier on and a secret bonus level based upon 1935's 'The Band Concert', in which you navigate upwards through a whirlwind by jumping on blue crates. The only frustrating part about the bonus level is that you only get one attempt at it, if you fall off a crate you start back in Willie the Giant's garden instead. As long as you take these differences into account you will still get lots out of the SNES game, after all the PlayStation hardware was far more powerful, yet the gameplay, level design and animations are essentially the same.
@WaveBoy I have a real soft spot for the Mega Drive's Castle of Illusion, I would be well up for reviewing that game and I am sure a number of Nlife's other writers would love to review it too. However, the Nlife 'Retro' section concentrates on Nintendo systems, so the only way you are likely to see a review for it here is if it was ever to be released on Virtual Console. Fingers crossed that SEGA can find a way to sort out a licensing deal, because that game would be an awesome platforming addition to the Mega Drive section of Virtual Console.
Re: Review: Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest (DS)
There is no two ways about it, I am a fan of The Lord of the Rings, even if it did take me a whole summer to read the books when I was 16! Therefore, I think that other Middle Earth fans will be most forgiving of the repetition and easy difficulty level to be found here, plus they will appreciate the variety of locations in its 17 chapters.
DS Aragorn's Quest's 8 hour game length is decent, although it really needs more set pieces. Even DSiWare's Hero of Sparta had some variety to its action, with a huge cyclops in the background attempting to crush you, as that game took inspiration from God of War. Then again Hero of Sparta's game length is much shorter than in Aragorn's Quest and TT Fusion's game has extra Arenas to unlock as you progress, too.
@JayArr Ha, ha, they are pretty maps indeed and fairly functional. They only display the areas which you have already explored and open up as you progress, but they are handy to find fires to light your torch, Elven health pools and for entrance/exit points on the levels. There is not that much to discover though, and progress in this game is linear.
Re: Review: GoldenEye 007 (Wii)
Great stuff Jon, it sounds like Eurocom have done a quality job at reinventing GoldenEye for modern gamers, while still retaining enough old-school elements for old fogies like me, such as ditching health regeneration for the 007 Classic difficulty level. Fair play to the devs for achieving that, pleasing both retro-heads and modern FPS-nuts is quite a balancing act!
I don't mind too much that it is short, although it is a bit of a shame that the extra objectives are not hugely exciting. This is one game with which I should be able to convince some of my PC-lovin' mates to boot up a blast of local multiplayer, based upon it presenting a new way to rekindle old memories.
From what Jon says though, despite my N64 nostalgia, it sounds like I'll opt to play the new GoldenEye with the Wii Remote.
Re: Review: The Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt (Super Nintendo)
@KingMike I played loads of Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt for the review and I did not spot any of the glitches you mention. I played it during the 90s too, and I don't remember finding or reading about any bugs back then, but during my research for the review I found a site which mentioned that pressing the 'Select' button can cause a glitch which can reset all of your lives.
I decided to test this pretty rigorously, I spent loads of time playing the bathroom level, because as you mention that is where the glitch seems to turn up. Basically, there is a dull and tiresome method of gaining extra lives during the swimming section, where Pugsley can bounce off the fish bones that the cats throw at you. This earns 1,600 points each time, so you can save up for a 1-Up with every 50,000 points earned. I spent ages on this level building extra lives, and pressing Select to try and trip the bug and intentionally wipe my lives. I even left the 'Checklist' menu screen, which is activated by pressing Select, paused for over an hour and a half to force it to bug out. No matter how hard I tried, my PAL copy never crashed and all of my extra lives remained.
A bigger issue to me was the lack of a save option, or even a password system. I decided to leave my SNES on constantly for about seven hours, because I did not want to lose the items I had gathered on Pugsley's checklist, which would have happened if I switched the SNES off to leave the flat to pick up my girlfriend! I did not come across any random resetting even during these prolonged periods, in which the game was left running.
That is why I did not mention anything about glitches in the review, because they never happened with my PAL cart, so I could not verify their existence. I wonder if it only happens with the US version of the game. If anyone else comes across a bug with this game, like KingMike found when he was a kid, it would be helpful if you could post the details about them here. Cheers.