Linkuini

Looks like I was right: it's much more fun to just set the DS to Spanish and play games like Picross DS, The Legend of Zelda, and other games that come with Spanish translations. Bowser's Inside Story even provides a very entertaining study in Spanish wordplay!

If anyone can read Spanish at an intermediate level, I recommend starting with games like Mario Kart DS and, um, Space Bust-a-Move, that aren't heavily reliant on text, working your way up to text-heavy games like the aforementioned Zelda and Bowser's Inside Story. If you get the chance and feel daring, you can play through a game you haven't yet played in English in Spanish. I did that with Spirit Tracks and felt like a genius when I solved the puzzles. And definitely try it with Picross DS: each puzzle gives you an image and the Spanish word for it, just like you'd see in Rosetta Stone or any book designed to teach you Spanish!

Of course, you may want to keep Google Translate or a pocket dictionary handy while you're playing. Nothing to be ashamed of.

@Token Girl

According to Google Translate, you just said that Kid Icarus was primitive/unsophisticated. I agree.

The screenshot of Pokosuka Racing made me think it was a DSiWare game. Still, I always like to hear about game developers experimenting with the ol' kart racing formula.

I'm not sure a million different gamers asking for a million different games is going to convince them to pull Kid Icarus out of retirement. Not that I don't think it'll ever happen: to me, the fact that there are so many old Nintendo properties ripe for sequels is a comforting reminder that Nintendo has a long way to go before running out of ideas. Personally, I want Captain Falcon to be the next familiar face to grace the Wii, but until then, I'll be occupied with WarioWare D.I.Y. and Nintendo will be occupied with Metroid: Other M. What a catastrophe.

Me neither, Mickeymac. There's just something sketchy about flirting with a fictional character. The only "dating sim" I enjoyed was the scene in Super Paper Mario where Francis the nerdy chameleon guy spent about 49 seconds flirting with Peach before she pulled out an explosive.

Out of curiosity, how many of the people complaining about the controls tried out the stylus-driven "Dual Hand Mode"? To me, the fact that I often had to re-center the onscreen target put it just behind a good analog stick, but I found it far preferable to the control pad scheme. I say a "good" analog stick because the one on the original N64 was so awful that it made my thumbs hurt, and now mine is so broken that I have to use my whole palm just to start swinging Bowser around.

I agree that the thumb pad that came with the original DS was a dead-end, though; it was just too tough to reach across the touch-screen with it. In fact, I like Damo's comparison: Street Fighter II was playable and popular on home consoles, but a real joystick and six face buttons would really heighten the experience. Anyway, I personally prefer the DS version of this game for its added content, but if you really must have the best possible control scheme, buy the VC version and use a Gamecube controller.

Maybe they just said that to be ironic, Big A2.

Gee, though... an indie game developer bent on ending the tyranny of other indie game developers? I've never been so happy to be so confused.

You know, that Spanish game would catch my interest if I didn't know that many DS games (especially from Nintendo) let players access a Spanish translation by switching the language on the system. Bowser's Inside Story taught me such indispensable phrases as "¡Tengo carcajadas!" (Fawful) while Bowser ate pollos nucleares, and with Picross DS I learn a new vocabulary word from every new puzzle! Unless that game is somehow more entertaining than hearing Fawful butcher the Spanish language, I recommend skipping it.

Aw, shoot! Trace Memory and Hotel Dusk were the kinds of games that the "casual" market should have been buying!

Attention, all literate humans! This stuff is good!

Like the reviewer said, Wario is great for unusual ideas like this. The only surprising thing here is that games like this come along so rarely. 'Tis but a fleshwound!

I didn't even know this existed! The biggest reason I dismissed the DS Trackmania was its inexcusable lack of online features, so I'm eager to know how this model performs on the information super-highway.

While "shovelware" does seem to be quite a blemish on the Wii's reputation, I think the real problem is that GOOD games like Dead Space Extraction, Little King's Story, etc., aren't getting the attention they deserve. The same thing happens on other consoles. For instance, Nintendo's own Drill Dozer on the GBA received positive reviews and a fair amount of promotion on the Nintendo.com (where Nintendo fans would theoretically take notice). Nonetheless, this fresh action game from the makers of Pokémon sold so poorly that I doubt we'll ever see a sequel.

It seems there isn't an easy solution to this.

COUGH goth COUGH Vulpix COUGH
'Scuse me.

Why has nobody mentioned Pikmin 3 yet?

Hey, if HD graphics will make the lag in online games like Super Smash Bros. Brawl, go away, so be it. If not, it can fall in a ditch.

There's only one thing I want from Nintendo's next machine, whenever it comes out: better online options. I want it to go online, I want it to keep running, and I want Nintendo and third-party publishers to go nuts with it. Modern Warfare 2 nuts. LittleBigPlanet nuts. Heck, Mario Kart Wii nuts! If it doesn't, it will sit on the shelf while I play the rest of the games already on Wii. Only improvement I can justify spending more cash for.

Help! I tripped and fell and the next thing I knew I was at the bottom of a hole and 223 comments were stacked on top of me!

That is one weird coincidence! I just returned this game this morning after renting it! It would be nice to see more of de Blob since it was a unique, fun game with room for improvement. Also, considering this game and Deadly Creatures seem to be the only games THQ's put out lately that even merit attention from most game publications, I think they're doing the right thing here.

I've taken fencing lessons before, and frankly I doubt I would have the energy and nerve to do it through an entire Zelda game. Still, I'm not worried after Nintendo made TWO Zelda games that made inventive use of touch control. So far I think Nintendo's shown the best examples of how the unique features of the Wii and DS can refine classic gameplay rather than replacing it.

Personally, I considered the slots in Diamond to be something really boring that I would slog through exclusively to win some TMs, but like Raylax said, it does make me worry about the fate of those awesome casino levels in the Sonic games.

Admittedly, I don't watch much BBC, but does anyone really think this network is going to shell out the (ahem) quid for an experienced developer to translate Doctor Who into a videogame of comparable quality? Don't get your hopes up. :/

If the motion controls are as responsive as in MKWii, I'm fine with either wheel. What I really want to know is whether this game has enough depth to give it some staying power on my Wii (and online). Oh, and for the record, I never used anything but the Wii Wheel for Mario Kart: it's too much fun to make me worry about any (real or imagined) loss in precision.

While we're letting Playstation soundtracks in on the fun, could we hear some Rayman sounds? Thanks for all the variety, by the way: I love the chiptune tracks (Bit Shifter's song reminds me of the icy day stage in Sonic Unleashed, which was great too) but it was interesting to listen to the ones from Rez and Gitaroo Man, which I have only scant knowledge of.

Oh no! The horror! A delay? Now how will I not have the cash to buy nor the time to play a good game that could have been more awesome if more time went into polishing it? HOW!?!?

Those of you who do not own Gunstar Heroes have no excuse as of now. Seriously. Get that flippin' game!

Look out, Furry Legends and Night Game!

@Terranigma
The DDI of WiiWare? Ouch, dude, that's harsh. I think somebody at JV Games is crying right now.

Who?

Of all Nintendo's big guns, Zelda is the one that fills me with the least giddy anticipation. Not that they're not great games, but I applaud any efforts to reinvigorate the franchise.

Even a few good voiceovers would make this worth retreading. If you don't have a microphone, how will you raise objections? "Throwing" evidence at the judge with the Wii remote would be a fun way...

I liked the Temple of the Ocean King! Finding shortcuts using new equipment was fun, and you could always warp straight past the earlier parts if you were happy with how much time you had.

This game looks fun, but there are a few signs of the franchise reaching for new ideas. An evil train? Really? Come on.

Maybe if Chicken Brutus wasn't so good at writing a hilarious negative review, he would stop having to review such terrible games.

In all seriousness, though, this sounds like it could have been a solid game if it weren't for all of the inexcusable interface issues... of... idiocy. Oh, geez, it's just like Samba De Amigo. Why, Sega, Why?

I liked the jab at Twilight.

Artifacts? RROD? I don't even know what you people are talking about. I can only assume that that's a good sign!

Nice review! I especially agree with what you said about the graphics: it's even true today. Since the Wii doesn't have the same horsepower that its competition does, graphical designers have to make their games stand out by taking them in new artistic directions, as seen in games like Madworld and Muramasa: The Demon Blade, resulting in games that (to me, at least) are decidedly more eye-catching than any PS3 or Xbox 360 game I've seen.

Careful there, Bulbasaurus, I wouldn't want to start anything if I were you.

But yeah, I'd be surprised (and kinda nauseated) if the States got a Wii game where cricket was a flippin' minigame.

Dr. Mario 64 is pretty much the last game that's even playable on my tired old N64. Once we get that on Virtual Console I can probably chuck the thing for good! Besides, it's still better than both the latest versions. An endless marathon mode, competitive play for four players, a silly but amusing story mode involving a bunch of characters from Wario Land 3 for some reason... truly the definitive Dr. Mario.

This sounds like a pretty neat game concept. Man, those fourth and sixth screenshots (left to right, from top left) either have a cool background or an awesome boss. Does anyone know?

Oh, and you guys go ahead and keep overthinking this whole "first post" concept. Meanwhile, I'm gonna devise a way to convince you philosophers that THIS is the first post!

Top-tier Japanese voice acting, huh? As if I'd know the difference!

I'm disappointed that it doesn't have the level of strategy I was hoping for (not that I expected or wanted it to be as strategic as the handheld games) but this sounds like a game I should buy. Also, to me it sounds exactly like what Nintendo should do to take advantage of Wiiware: take established franchises in experimental new directions by releasing them in cheap, downloadable form. I'd be interested in seeing whether or not Nintendo/Ambrella keeps going with this concept after this game sells millions of downloads like we all know it will.

Personally, I was alright with the controls in the DS version. Sure, moving with the stylus is a clumsy substitute for analog control, but it still manages to be more reliable than the DS control pad, or my worn out N64 controller for that matter. Still, it's probably best to play with a Gamecube controller.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought of a Sonic game from Nintendo, but now that I think of it, it would probably be the worst thing Sega could do their reputation. It would be as if they flat-out admitted they couldn't make a successful Sonic game anymore!

Did someone mention Q! Entertainment? They could probably handle Puzzle League pretty well, but it would still be hard to improve on package as complete and flashy as the one Planet Puzzle League delivered. What I'd really like to see from them is a classic revival of Wario's Woods on the DS. If they made the mechanics more accessible and added some cool multiplayer modes, it could be the best thing since Meteos (my favorite puzzle game ever)!

How about a Sonic game from Nintendo? Oh, whoops, got it backwards. What about Treasure? I know they're already working on Sin and Punishment 2, but I'd like to see them take on one of Nintendo's more well-known franchises. Their innovative mechanics and freaky bosses were right at home in Wario World; just think what they could do for Kirby!

I also like the idea pixelman mentioned. With material like that, Bioware's writers would win awards!

If I was enough of a snob to pay too much cash for a pretty, glowing paperweight like that, I would probably have a PS3.

I'm saving that image forever, though...

Seems like a total cliché-fest to me, but at least it's well-presented. In most genres I'm happy to buy something familiar if it's playable enough. For a turn-based RPG, though, there has to be either some sort of interesting hook or innovation that isn't often successfully duplicated by other games, like the infinitely competitive and customizable nature of the Pokémon games, an abundance of humor/drama (mostly humor) as exemplified in Earthbound, or some sort of well-tuned action element, demonstrated in any RPG with Mario in it.

Oh... well alright, so there are a lot of things that could make me buy a turn-based RPG, but I don't see much of that stuff in the trailer (airship battles definitely do NOT count as innovation). The way it looks now , the only way I would buy it is if it offered the level of polish and superior design that made me love Chrono Trigger so much. Hoo boy, did I crack up after typing that last sentence!

The only scene I liked was the one where John Leguizamo (I refuse to call him Luigi) got that six-foot-tall reptilian thug (I refuse to call it a goomba) to dance to elevator music. The rest of it was forgettable at best. I bet playing Globox in Rayman 3 looked better on Leguizamo's résumé than this did.

I was already drooling over Muramasa, but if this is the story, maybe I should give some real consideration to Little King's Story. Oog,,, but I want Klonoa, too. What a terrible time for an economic recession!

To an extent, that's very true. Personally though, I can't help but put some of the blame on the economic crisis. With this much unemployment (and impending college fees in my family's case), there just isn't enough money to go around to third-party titles, even when they've got something good to offer. As it is, all I can afford to do is save for the big, must-have, triple-A titles, and yes, most of them are from Nintendo.

Good enough for me. Rosalina's storybook was cute and all, but it didn't really add much to the game. Plus, remember that ending cutscene? You know, the one where a hundred lumas fly into a black hole, a giant Rosalina tries to teach us a nonsensical lesson in astrophysics and Mario, Bowser and Peach somehow end up back on their own planet along with every other character that appeared in the game? What an incomprehensible load of space corn! It's like playing Kingdom Hearts, but not as extreme.

World of Goo got knocked down to number 5? I guess the sign painter was right: you can't stop progress.

I should have downloaded the demo on the Nintendo Channel when I had the chance. I always just ignored it exclusively because of that gut-wrenchingly horrible name.