Comments 241

Re: Talking Point: The Great Nintendo 3DS Price Drop Debate

LordTendoboy

@armoredghor

The 3D is so overrated. It's a gimmick, it always has been a gimmick, it always will be a gimmick. It's simply a visual trick, it does nothing to enhance gameplay.

I can't even see 3D visuals, so I have no reason to buy into the hype.

I'm getting a 3DS for the games, not the stupid 3D gimmick.

Re: Feature: What Happened to Metroid 64?

LordTendoboy

I actually remember reading that Miyamoto wanted a first-person Metroid to be on the N64. He came up with the original idea of making it first-person, but the hardware wasn't powerful enough, so the project was scrapped.

Also, Donkey Kong Country was originally in development for the N64 (which was called the "Ultra 64" back then), but for some reason they moved it to the Super NES.

Re: Super Mario 3D Land's Logo Still Has a Raccoon Tail

LordTendoboy

@James

Idk... the game just looks too slow-paced for me. Mario jumps slow, and the game looks very floaty. I had the same problem with the Galaxy series. If it weren't for the crazy level designs, I'd have written off that series for it's weird jumping physics.

NSMB Wii had more accurate controls than Mario Galaxy, the jumping felt right.

And the Koopa Kids aren't in this game. What you saw was Boom Boom, the fortress boss from SMB3.

Re: Feature: What Happened to Metroid 64?

LordTendoboy

@ryanthehedhehog

Rated M for Metroid of course!

Is Sakamoto an idiot? He couldn't figure out how to control Samus with the N64 controller? Let's see, it has a D-Pad for 2D games, an analog stick for 3D games... Yup, 2 major control options are available right there.

And the N64 can certainly do 2D graphics, look at Yoshi's Story. It uses the same graphics tech that Donkey Kong Country used: pre-rendered 3D graphics on a 2D plane. Nintendo could have made a Metroid game using those graphics.

Re: Investors Urge Nintendo to Develop for Smartphones

LordTendoboy

@WaltzElf (70)

Read the rest of my comment before taking things out of context ok?'

Touchscreen only controls are good for certain games (RTS, Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, any game where you poke, drag, swipe, etc.), but many games rely on buttons for their gameplay, especially platformers and shooters.

The PS Vita offers the best of both worlds (touchscreen and buttons). It has a multitouch capacitive touchscreen that allows for simple iOS-style games, and traditional gaming buttons for more complex games.

The DS is also a good hybrid system, though the screen isn't multitouch, or capacitive.

Re: More Official Details of 3DS Ambassador Scheme Emerge

LordTendoboy

Oh wait, I get it now. Most N64 and GBA games allowed you to save anywhere, so there's no point in having restore points for those platforms.

Early platforms like the Super NES only allowed you to save after a certain point in the game; and most NES and Game Boy games didn't allow saves at all, so it makes sense to have restore points for those platforms (allowing you to pause wherever and resume playing later).

Re: More Official Details of 3DS Ambassador Scheme Emerge

LordTendoboy

So what's the difference between Restore Point and Suspend Point?

Ugh. Nintendo's going to segment their VC service again. Certain platforms get the suspend feature and multiplayer, while others are left out. It's the same thing they did with the N64 VC games (no suspend points, while all the other systems got it).

Re: Investors Urge Nintendo to Develop for Smartphones

LordTendoboy

Sony sees that there is a market for both smartphones and handheld game devices. The have the PS Vita, Xperia Play (PlayStation Phone), and the PlayStation Suite service for Android. Sony's covering all bases.

Nintendo has the DS, 3DS... and that's it. Perhaps they should put a few of their games on smartphones, that way people who have no interest in the DS/3DS can still try out their games.

As for people complaining that smartphones aren't suited for gaming (no buttons), the Xperia Play has gaming buttons. It basically looks like a PSP Go, with a touchscreen and slide-out buttons underneath.

I'm baffled that "analysts" really think the future of portable gaming is on smartphones and tablets. Handhelds are so far ahead of these devices it's amazing that people prefer gaming on a touchscreen-only device. Handheld games are more complex in graphics and gameplay, and they have buttons that are suited to gaming.

The Xperia Play is trying to bridge the gap between smartphone and handheld, but I'm not sure how well it's selling. The PS Vita has a capacitive multitouch screen, in addition to standard gaming buttons, so porting iOS and Android games will be a breeze. Ideally, PS Vita will be the best of both worlds. It's capable of simple iOS games, as well as more complex games.

Re: Not n-Space's Decision to Develop Modern Warfare 3 for DS

LordTendoboy

@WaltzElf

New hardware always takes time to be adopted. You think the Xbox 360 sold 30 million units in one month? No. It takes time for an install base to grow.

Without new games to entice buyers, the new hardware won't sell. Without strong sales, developers will be discouraged from making games. It's the platform-holder's responsibility to make sure sales are strong, by releasing 1st-party content on a * consistent* basis. 3rd-party developers will follow suit.

Like I said: IT TAKES TIME! People that expect the 3DS to reach DS sales this quickly are either idiots or naive.

Re: Not n-Space's Decision to Develop Modern Warfare 3 for DS

LordTendoboy

@WaltzElf

What a horrible comparison. The DS has been out since 2004 and has a huge install base. The 3DS has been out for just over 4 months.

That's like saying (back in 2000) that a developer would rather make games for the PS1 cause the PS2 doesn't have a big install base.

Well no ! It's a new system. You expect it to sell 100 million units overnight? Geeze people, use your heads for once. Give it time to grow in sales.

Developers love making stuff for new hardware. It's called progression. Without progression in graphics and hardware, we might as well stick with our N64's.

Re: Feature: Staff Roundtable - Metroid's Past, Present and Future

LordTendoboy

@Oddy

There are very few games with good story, voice acting, or dialogue. So just lump Other M in with them (cough Black Ops cough). The games play fine, but the story is forgettable.

There are a few exceptions (Halo, God of War, Portal), but by and large video game stories are unimaginative filler meant to complement the gameplay. A story should never be used as filler for a video game, unless the story is the game's main focus (like Heavy Rain). Most game stories are just a bunch of cutscenes cobbled together to make the game's objectives more clear, but that just distracts from the gameplay. I usually skip cutscenes, since they serve no purpose to me.

Re: Feature: Staff Roundtable - Metroid's Past, Present and Future

LordTendoboy

More ideas for Metroid Wii U:

  • Power Suit data appears on the controller screen (number of missiles, weapons currently active, health status, etc.)
  • Controller displays a mini-map of your immediate surroundings. Clicking on the map zooms it in (much like in Metroid Prime), where you can rotate, pan, zoom in and out, etc.
  • Hold the controller up to the TV screen while in scan mode to actively scan the environment. The internal gyro sensors allow you to move the controller in relation to the TV, and scannable objects appear in red.

Re: Feature: Staff Roundtable - Metroid's Past, Present and Future

LordTendoboy

Also, Metroid Prime 4 please. On Wii U.

Ideas:

  • Use the Wii U controller as a scan visor, and scanned objects appear on the controller's screen.
  • Samus tracks down the strange ship that appeared at the end of Corruption. It is being piloted by Space Pirates, who are travelling through a wormhole for an unknown reason.
  • The Space Pirates plan on taking Metroid DNA and combining it with their own species, resulting in a Space Pirate that can absorb energy fired from weapons. This means the Pirate can heal itself when you shoot it, so a new strategy is needed to take them down. (Yes it sounds similar to the Omega Pirate battle from Metroid Prime, but now they are "invincible")

Re: Feature: Staff Roundtable - Metroid's Past, Present and Future

LordTendoboy

Metroid Prime was my first Metroid game. The strange, ambient music, the graphics, atmosphere, presentation, controls, bosses, enemy designs, interconnected world, everything about the game is amazing. It really does seem like Super Metroid in 3D.

Since then, I've played through Corruption (on the Trilogy), and ALMOST beat Echoes (on the GameCube). In my opinion, Echoes is better than Corruption, by far. The feeling of isolation was perfected with Echoes, but Corruption didn't give me the same feeling (since you were running around with a bunch of other bounty hunters).

On the GBA I got my first taste of 2D Metroid. Fusion was extremely atmospheric and downright scary at times (SA-X chasing you from out of nowhere gave me the chills each time it happened). The final boss was a bit of a letdown. Nightmare and the spider boss were harder.

Zero Mission was fun. I never played the original Metroid, so the only thing I could compare it to was Super Metroid. It basically seemed like a mishmash of ideas from the original game and Super Metroid. Not bad, just somewhat confusing.

Then I downloaded Super Metroid on the VC and was completely immersed. I've never before experienced a game world that felt so alive. The gigantic planet just begs to be explored fully, and I didn't even find everything (I think I beat the game with around 82% collected items).

The most recent game I played through was Other M. Like many others, I hated the story and dialogue. The MB subplot was ridiculous and completely unnecessary, and Ridley and the Space Pirates seemed tacked on for fanservice. I noticed that Other M is like Metroid Fusion in 3D. Both games shared the same environments (stranded on a huge ship with different environmentally-themed sectors). Even some of the bosses were the same (Nightmare).

Now that I look back, I actually sort of liked Other M. The gameplay is unique, the bosses are fun and intense, and the graphics are superb, some of the best on Wii. If only the story and dialogue weren't so crappy... Too many plotholes.

Here's to a bright future Miss Aran.

Re: Review: Metroid Prime (GameCube)

LordTendoboy

I'm so pissed that I traded in my copy of Prime Trilogy. Now I can't find it anywhere. Nintendo should have never made it a limited release. Perhaps they can re-release it under Nintendo Selects (for about $30)?

Re: Review: Metroid Prime (GameCube)

LordTendoboy

@JayceJa

Echoes had the same control scheme as the first Prime. They didn't change it at all.

I don't get it. The GameCube controller had 2 analog sticks. Why didn't they just map the aiming to the second stick like every other first-person game? At least they could have offered us customizable controls.

Re: Nintendo Will Announce Wii U Release Date Next Year

LordTendoboy

@Vinsanity

Why is it stupid? Xbox 360 and PS3 aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Xbox 360 has experienced a surge in sales since Kinect launched. PS3 is doing well. Neither console is where the Wii is at now.

And the next generation of consoles will be in HD as well, with "3-D" visuals as an added feature (the PS3 is already doing that, so I expect Microsoft to push it as well with the next Xbox).

Re: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is Wii-Bound

LordTendoboy

@taffy

Grinder is probably never coming out now. There hasn't been news of the Wii version for over a year, and High Voltage apparently still can't find a publisher (go with Sega, duh).

Oh and there's the big news that the Wii is pretty much dying, and the Wii U will replace it next year. So IF the game is still being made, it may just come out on Wii U.

Re: Nintendo Will Announce Wii U Release Date Next Year

LordTendoboy

@Burning_Spear

If they stall it until 2013, then what will we play on the Wii until then? NOA could finally localize Xenoblade, The Last Story, etc, but that is highly doubtful. So unless Nintendo has a few more surprises in store for Wii, we will have nothing new to play for an entire year.

Re: Capcom Talks Street Fighter X Tekken, SSFIV3D:AE on 3DS

LordTendoboy

Keep milking that cash cow Capcom, just like you've done since Street Fighter 2 and all it's different editions.

I'm just glad the Mortal Kombat franchise isn't being milked like it used to be back in the 1990's.

When is Virtual Fighter going to make a comeback? We had VF4 in 2007, but nothing else since. Is that series not as popular as Tekken, MK, and SF?

Re: Here's Nintendo's Most Up to Date Release Schedule

LordTendoboy

$170 for a 3DS is a steal. I'm definitely buying one after the price drop.

Super Mario 3D Land
Dead or Alive Dimensions
Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Sonic Generations

will all be mine!

Not to mention the plethora of DS games I want to get.
Sonic Rush
NSMB
Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Final Fantasy 3 and 4
Dragon Quest 8 and 9

Re: Iwata Shoulders Blame for Low 3DS Sales, Cuts Salary in Half

LordTendoboy

Wow. In just a few months Nintendo went from number 1 in sales, to falling a bit. And their only competition in the portable market is iOS and Android devices. Once the Vita hits, Nintendo will have a big battle on their hands.

Here's hoping the Wii U does well in it's first few months.

Iwata is so humble yet honest, a rarity for CEO's of major corporations. Jack Tretton and Kaz Hirai (Sony) could learn a few lessons in humility & honesty from Iwata.

Re: 3DS Drops to $169.99 from 12th August

LordTendoboy

I was expecting a price drop before the Vita launched, but this early? And an $80 cut? Nintendo must be desperate.

So now the 3DS is $170, and the Vita is $250. That is definitely a huge difference in price, with the Vita positioned as the "premium" handheld. It's exactly like last gen.

Now the 3DS is only $10 more than the DSi XL.