warioswoods

Perhaps they ought to split the franchise similarly to Mario platformers: preserve the sweeping 3D games (Mario Galaxy or Twilight Princess) as one sequence that releases less often, but release another series of 2D throwbacks (NSMB or 4 Swords etc) on a regular schedule. Then the 2D games can be smaller in scope and give us our fix, without hurting the occasional epic 3D quests.

It's been done before. Remember that Nintendo experimented with the Stellaview for delivering new episodes live to gamers via satellite broadcast during specified time slots in the mid 90s (Japan only), and Zelda was one of the games featured in several incarnations. You had a limited amount of time to complete the mission objectives, and then a ranking was broadcast.

More info (Wikipedia)

@WaveBoy

I haven't picked up Return to Dreamland yet (I just have too many things I havent finished) but will do so soon enough. It looks like a lot of fun for multiplayer.

"Um... no. It was because there was nothing else like it. It was the first platformer to actually do it right. By today's standards, it's just a cheezy, outdated game"

I'm not sure that statement is even a coherent answer to what you quoted. To what, specifically, does your "um no" refer? Your statements "nothing else like it" and "first [3d] platformer to do it right" both agree pretty well with his statement that it "evolved the Mario franchise." After all, it evolved platforming as a whole, and you seem to agree.

As for whether it's a "cheesy" game (etc) by today's standards, that's rather off topic. He used the past tense exclusively ("was a fantastic launch title" and "was... beyond awesome"), so I don't know why you're trying to pull it into the present.

Lastly, you clearly don't have a very good understanding of game history (or film history, or any other medium) when speak of a classic in that sense. Yes, if it released today for the first time, it would be ignored, but that's because we're living in a world where Mario 64 shaped the 3D platformer. It'd be like releasing an unaltered classic 30's black and white film today; it wouldn't make sense, because cinema has moved on. But the film (and the game) is still great, only it has to be played on its own terms and not subjected to the rules of a different era.

Aw man, I disagree very strongly with the notion that this game was better than its predecessor.

I played both at their respective launches, and I remember how wonderful the first game was: perfect level design, charm throughout, and that kind of focused creativity that feels no need to pad length or reuse any idea twice. Its length was perfect for what it offered, and it's pretty much the only Kirby game to feature a "hard mode" anywhere near that hard, particularly if you take the challenge of setting down your total lives on the config screen.

Dream Land 2? It was bigger, sure, and had some neat things to play with. But for me, it was the first Kirby game to have that kind of random-seeming level design, where no particular screen feels important along the way. It focuses more on the abilities which weren't present in the first, which is fine, but the level design suffers as a result. Definitely a fun game, but I was disappointed after the newness wore off, and never replayed this one like I did the original (about a billion times).

@grimbldoo

That bothers me too. For some reason that extra tap seems really counterintuitive.

This will sound like a joke, but I'm actually wondering if it's even more important these days to have Wario at launch.

Seriously. Smooth Moves was a fantastic way to show off all the possibilities of the new hardware in a social, frenzied way that sold the concept of the wii-mote well. They need a new WarioWare that takes advantage of all the crazy ideas one could make happen with that awesome tablet. You could come up with a million odd social ideas, passing it around the room from player to player as the microgrames roll.

Regarding the compressed sound (and maybe even visuals?), that's probably just for the demo version. I remember hating the sound in the RE demo as well, because they clearly had to compress it terribly to make an acceptable download size. But the retail game sounded great. So, wait and see in this case before you jump to conclusions.

I don't know, I'd say this guy's head shows plenty of luster.

I'm playing "fix the water damage done by a bad pipe in my laundry room" and then some "catch up on a project for work."

Maybe, if there's more time after all that fun, I'll play some Kid Icarus.

@RYBlast

Well, that makes sense, because everyone wants to test out the patch or see what happens. But once the initial laughs are done, I'm sure it will go back to normal.

The best feature is that it will finally prevents idiots from choosing that course over and over.

But I wish they'd also gone ahead and added a desperately needed feature: limit the recurrence of the same track per set to 1. Make it just a community feature if you must, but add it somehow. I'd also like to see "veto" votes, so that you as a player can vote to not play a certain level instead of choosing one, which just removes that level from the selection list if someone else picked it.

It's a QR code with a bag on it!?

Anyhow, I'd be even happier if the patch caused those attempting the old shortcuts to be booted and immediately demoted massively in their online ranking, but this will do for now.

I still haven't purchased Brawl... but I've never really understood SSB nor do I know a single person who is into it, so I'd be stuck with the single player. But for $30... maaaaaybe I should give the franchise another shot.

DKCR for $30 is a steal. I still would call that the best 2D (gameplay) platformer of at least this generation and the last combined.

The first game was better designed IMO (more original levels, polish), but this game was much longer and has a ton of fun things to do. So bring it to NA now and I'll buy it, Iwata.

Seriously, this could be the greatest golf sim of all time.

Using that sensor on the floor would mean very accurate measurement of the precise angle and movement of your virtual club as you swing past the ball; other implementations (on Motion Plus by itself, and Kinect and Move) cannot read that detail at the exact point where your club passes the ball, so they have to just guess based on overall swing path. Also, you could actually see your club head as you set up your shot and adjust the angle of the face of the club appropriately. Good stuff.

@BoogilyWoogily

I like developers who kindly and intelligently respond to criticisms as you have. Just for that (and the game looking pretty interesting in general), I'm adding this one to my to-buy-eventually list.

MMMMMMMORPG

I agree with him that 2D layers look incredible on the 3DS with depth added. I loved that papercraft look in the 3D Classics remake of Kirby's Adventure. For some reason, however, it seems that a certain portion of players just can't see that form of depth and shrug as if there's no 3D at all. Well, screw them, I'm with this guy.
; )

Fortunately I do all my shopping here.

It's true that dual analog could not even begin to compete with the aiming speed offered by the touchscreen. I gave a friend my Starfox 64 3DS, but would have kept it (and enjoyed it immensely more) if they'd have allowed a touchscreen aiming mode. For me, pushing a cursor around the screen using a stick just feels archaic.

Quite a lot of innovations from SMB2 have made their way into later games, as have character attributes (Luigi, Toad, and Peach's general variations in movement as compared to Mario) and many enemies (bob-ombs, ninjis, etc). So it's not forgotten... but it's certainly true that we've yet to see a real revival of the subcon world, so I'm all in favor of the idea.

I tried doing that on Wii. Didn't work.

Showbiz Pizza (later consolidated / renamed to Chuck E. Cheese's) used to be an imaginative concept based around some of the best animatronics ever made. I loved seeing the band play; the characters seemed real to the point of being wonderfully creepy. The arcade wasn't half bad, either.

But this game?

Fatz is NOT pleased.

Yes, but how do they explain that face?

I'm sure Miyamoto will soon manage to upend the mid-afternoon tea table.

One thing would make me the happiest fan ever:

A Four Swords Adventures sequel (or even port!) on Wii U at launch, with full support for either using the Wii U screen or wirelessly connecting 3DS systems as controllers. Bam. Done. You're welcome.

1) It was better when known as Showbiz Pizza.
2) The best part isn't the games. It's the animatronic show.
3) I am angry and nostalgic at the same time.

If it comes to NA, this would surely have the finest wardrobe of any horror game I've played.

I'm not a fan.

The eShop looked much better before with its large icons, and I don't even need that bottom set. The folders look like something from a PC, and I don't want my little toybox 3DS to look anything like that, so I won't be using them.

Patching? Well, at least that's a plus. The other stuff, not so much.

I'd prefer a more coherent playable game to be made out of these cards. At the moment, I'm not sure what to do with them to make it fun for 2 people.

I've been meaning to pick up the WiiWare game for ages, but mainly for the multiplayer. I watched a BitBlock video of a 2-player game it looked quite enjoyable.

There is potentially a way to avoid some of the AR limitations (lighting, familiar home surroundings), yet it takes some elements not offered by the game itself.

I've posted this video once before, but here you can see a player taking Spirit Camera into the woods, wandering through some abandoned buildings and otherwise frightening places in the second half. To solve the light problem, he simply carries a flashlight, which should work perfectly if you hold it with the 3DS so that just the area seen by the camera is always illuminated.

If I lived near a place like this, I would be a bit more inclined to pick up the game and give it a try.

nudge-nudge

They ought to have named it More Super Mario Bros.

Bwahaha, patching the shortcuts at last. I hope to have a hearty laugh the first time I watch some idiot drive off the edge who hasn't heard the good news.

@Adam

Haha, somehow I find your response to be refreshing. I'm sitting here criticizing the concept based on a few screenshots, but I should just say 'yay' and know that I'll have some new Mario levels laters this year.

Anyhow, while the current screenshots sure do look lazy to me, I remember thinking that the first images of Galaxy 2 also seemed to be a lazy reuse of the first game's assets, but that sequel was full of surprises in the end. Likewise with NSMB Wii, which looked at first like a NSMB rip-off but which actually contained quite a few new ideas and played very differently. So I guess I can reserve judgment pending more information.

Picross 3D is consistently much cheaper than Picross DS in the US. I'll take your word that the two prices are reversed in Britain, however.

Not gonna lie, I'm always excited to see Dinosaur Office pop up.

That tagline is perfect. It almost makes up for the loss of the RPG. Almost.

2012:
Titanic movie rereleased in 3D
Titanic game published on DS, not 3DS

Even if he somehow remapped the shoulder buttons to face buttons, you wouldn't be able to play some of the true Gamecube greats (like Sunshine or Luigi's Mansion) without having those unique analogue triggers.

Ah, so I see you weren't shirking your responsibilities after all. That Legend of Zelda review had me wondering if you'd been distracted from your Doll Studio duties. Science cannot move forward without heaps!

It's hard for players today to fundamentally bracket what they know about the genre or franchise enough to see what this game offered.

When I first booted it up all those years ago (having played little beyond the first Mario), I was thrown into a clearing with a door at the top, and knew nothing about how the game would proceed from there. Of course, just like the mushroom placed in the first box in SMB, they put the old man right there in the first cave to give you a sword and send you off with a few cryptic words; "it's dangerous to go alone" made up the entirety of my knowledge at that point.

I remember stumbling into the first dungeon after hours of wandering around, and just feeling like it was some vast underground secret. When I beat it and received a triforce, I started to get the sense that there were more dungeons and more pieces, and things slowly built from there, with each discovery (trees can be burned to find passageways!) marking another moment of amazement.

If you play it today, forget about the franchise, because it didn't exist. Just think: "I'm controlling a little guy in a field. Where will this go next?" Then you'll begin to sense the full experience.

"The 3DS’s touch screen may not be the most responsive in the world, but here it feels completely natural"

That's my only disagreement with the review. The 3DS touch screen is in fact one of the most precise on the market, and far more accurate for precise work than any of the capacitative (iPhone, etc) devices. It's one of the only devices out there capable of supporting a robust drawing app that isn't just broad finger smudges.

I'm not picky about numeric review scores, but I'm just gonna throw it out there that I'd probably have to give this one a 10. It just keeps getting better, and it's truly unlike any other gaming experience I've had.

Xenoblade is so incredibly good (and enormous) that I may not go for either of the remaining Rainfall games; just not enough time, and my expectations are now too high for any subsequent games to meet. Well... maybe The Last Story, but certainly not this one.

Yep, that title is confusing if you happen to be aware of the barber shop.

A Wii Fatal Frame is coming westward? Do my eyes deceive me? It'd best come on over to the US as well, else I'll have to start abusing Reggie's Mii as a makeshift voodoo doll.

Ooh, now that does sound rather handy. I'd love to have the Wii U tablet control all my TV-related devices, so there's just this one tablet sitting there instead of 4 or 5 different remotes. I know that various universal remotes already exist, but the quality of this color touchscreen could put it far beyond what's currently available.