warioswoods

@Mario_Pary_Fan

That's what I've been wondering. I expected a holiday release, but no mention has been made since E3.

I'm starting to wonder if they might be moving MP9 onto the Wii U as a launch title . . . it would make a lot of sense. Then again, we never got a great Mario Party game out of the Wii, so I hope they don't bypass it.

Good point in conclusion; Wii Fit Plus is a fine piece of software, and all you need to really have a good time with a bit of exercise.

Wow, missed this discussion, but here goes:

Mario Galaxy >>>>>>>>>>>>(infinitely greater)>>>>> Galaxy 2

But Galaxy 2 is a fine game and all... it's just that Galaxy 1 is that good. It's the pinnacle of all Mario.

Daisy Cruiser (GC)!! I'm sold.

"difinitive multi-sports package"

#typo

Hmm, I'll have to see this and judge for myself. This is one of my favorite NES games, so I'm buying it either way, but I find it strange that everyone is reporting only a mild 3D effect, given the great transitions in ExciteBike and others in the 3D Classics sequence.

I loved the touchscreen aiming in Metroid Prime Hunters. It made the handheld experience actually feel like something unique, rather a shrunken console game. I don't get the wish for portable games to edge ever closer to what you have on the TV.

It does look like the reintroduction of time limits is a good thing given the size and style of the levels. I wonder how much fun this will end up being for speedrunning.

Didn't I hear that you can also pick up best level-times from others (just times, not ghosts?) via Streetpass? That should extend things a bit.

I, for one, don't like the crossovers. Sonic & company just don't fit comfortably alongside Mario-verse characters, in my mind.

@Adam

Whoah, fourth wall forever broken.

@2

I'm also a little wary of the linearity, but the Iwata Asks article appeased me a bit when the director said that this game approaches a more traditional 3D Mario formula as you get into the later content; it sounds like it becomes multiple goals per level and exploration to find the star coins in place of stars.

We'll see. The director also described this game as a gateway from 2D to 3D Mario games, so that it takes the 2D formula and slowly opens up the player to gameplay from the 3D formula, so that they those who don't play 3D Mario games can finally make the leap.

Be forewarned, fellow readers, I'll be scanning this page periodically to see if anyone bashes Sunshine.

Sunshine defense force, GO!

Good grief.

@TheDarkness

"Yeah I liked Shattered Memories, but it was too damn short and at times too boring. It needed some combat to spice up the action."

Disagree, but that's a personal preference for atmosphere, pacing, and story over combat. The lack of combat was in fact the key to this game's greatness, IMO.

"That and the story was full of plot holes."

Wait... what? Did you finish it? I'm not sure where plot holes could really be pinpointed given the nature of what's happening in the game (which we can't discuss here for spoilers). On that note, there are actually 4 or 5 very different endings, so I don't know which you found.

And it wasn't short in the slightest if you take it at my pace, then replay it to see how much everything changes based on your answers and actions. There is so much content you miss on a single playthrough.

Plenty of time to overturn additional tea tables.

Dang I need some mushroom pizza now. I can't think of an ingredient I love so much as mushrooms. They're like tobasco: put 'em on anything.

I find the eShop charming, personally, and don't mind scrolling through the themed racks or watching the cute animations while waiting for my download.

But anyhow, it sounded to me that the demo limits are only an option for each publisher to set per game. I believe that's necessary for certain game types and not for others. If I wanted to offer a demo of, say, the guitar tuner app, it might be easiest to just limit the number of plays and then block re-download, rather than trying to cut it into some smaller form where you can only tune 2 of the strings or whatnot.

Looking at what you get out of many $35-40 retails DS or 3DS games, $8 for this wonderful little game is a heck of a steal. I hope these devs stick around to create more eShop content; we need them.

@30
"I hope this means they'll start listening to their fans now"

I wouldn't be so sure about that. The Wii and DS were their biggest successes of all time, and neither was the traditional kind of gaming console that vocal fans wanted or expected. (I'm a supporter of Nintendo's change in strategy there, but it's important to recognize that the "core gamer" fans were often dragged along kicking and screaming.)

Permit me a momentary shout: DO SOMETHING WITH THE LOWER SCREEN

On principle I'm not sure I can buy this game. If you leave nothing but a giant, ugly menu button on the screen that makes up a significant portion of the system's displays, you're clearly not trying. Stop being lazy developers and find something more inventive to display there, or it's hard to take you seriously.

"Some people would call this a nightmare"

Me.

One of my favorite Wii games, and easily the most well-rounded, engrossing, and original "horror" game I've ever played.

@Tare

No, but I may have to give it a try. Their official website looks interesting, and I could indeed just run it on my laptop. (I wish October were just beginning... I have so much more horror gaming that I haven't gotten to this month).

I'm a big fan of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. That's one of the best horror experiences I've ever had. The best, in some ways, particularly regarding the story and some genuine emotional involvement. It also proved that fighting doesn't have to be a part of horror games.

They should have focused on the "grip" part to make it clear that this is an alternative control style for home use, IMO. That being said, the "Pro" bit does help to associate it with the Classic Controller Pro, which is logical as this is just a classic controller for the 3DS.

Thanks for the additional information, and I realize that not everything can be fit in a review that remains short enough for people to actually read (the few that don't skip straight to the score, that is).

It sounds like the multiplayer wasn't as central to the creation of this game as it was for NSMB or DKCR. Too bad, as I'd love to have another multiplayer platformer on par with those two.

Then again, IGN's criticisms don't really bother me at all. The fact that the multiplayer is asymmetrical isn't a problem for me; in DKCR you also have some differences in role, with Diddy able to ride on DK as a powerup but not vice versa, and that actually worked well. Having one "lead" person responsible for keeping the main Kirby alive might be fun, and it might also be nice to allow someone less skilled to just jump in whenever and have fun.

Now I need to see a video of 2 Kirbys instead of Kirby+others, to see how that plays out.

The number one question on my mind was the multiplayer, which for me will be the key to this game's success or failure. For some reason, the above summary is bizarrely light on details there :-/

For those who know...

• How does dying work? Does the game pause for moment when players die? Does Kirby's death cause something different from supporting characters' deaths?
• Can secondary players inhale enemies and earn abilities? The review mentions that they can choose another color Kirby, so I hope so.
• If not choosing a Kirby, how do the helper characters work? What abilities? Is it boring just having the same moves while the Kirby character is able to constantly change?
• Do the levels work any differently in multiplayer? More enemies, etc?
• Is the player interaction NSMB-style (bump each other off platforms) or DKCR-style (stand on different layers) ?
• Pick up other players? Throw them? Inhale them? What works?
• Does the screen wait for the last player or does it squish them if they get left behind? Is there a jump-forward mechanism if you're left behind, as in DKCR? What about a way to drop out for a minute, like the bubbles in NSMB or the ability for Diddy to just ride on DK's back?

Apples and oranges.

One of the greatest Kirby games of all time. Count me excited to finally get a dang platformer out of these 3D remakes.

Bomb bowling, awesome.

The 3DS is a toy--including the cameras--but that's not a bad thing. You're approaching the device entirely wrong if you expect to use it as a replacement for ordinary cameras. The point is merely to have fun with the 3D photography and videos, not to produce something serious or publishable.

I'm finally playing through this series now (started the first one not long ago) after having it on my backlist forever. It's good fun, and I can see how the format will addict me quickly. It's like on of those children's books that has puzzles and storytelling mixed in.

@Meta-Rift

Fair enough, I do appreciate both kinds of immersion, but perhaps it just depends on what the game hopes to achieve. In this case, they're trying to create a Zelda that is more fundamentally interactive; it might alienate some players, like Wind Waker did, but I love these more divergent takes on core franchises.

@Meta-Rift

"This "immersion" argument is ridiculous. It doesn't matter whether you use buttons or motion controls, as long as you don't need to focus on what your doing outside of the game (and it can go both ways for either control method)"

There are two different definitions of "immersion" here. I appreciate your perspective, but it's only one way of approaching the topic.

You define immersion as purely mental, and a matter of dimming the world around you in order to get into the game. Call it the "darkened theater" kind of immersion.

Others (myself included) also appreciate video game immersion in terms of the match between what is happening in the game and what is happening with you (your body). It's immersive when the tension of a battle extends to your real arm, so that you must work to remain calm and swing precisely even as the fight's pace grows more intense. Pushing buttons doesn't capture the tension. It's immersive when different actions feel different, so that my use of the bow is a completely different kind of experience from my use of the sword. I feel better unified with the character, sharing his need to switch-up and move differently in a different context, instead of just toggling a shoulder button.

When different actions in the game all feel exactly the same, you feel more like you're watching a movie than playing and interacting with that world.

Fantastic read (this page, not the book), many thanks for the feature.

I had the kind of parents that could have easily picked up this book instead of the game for me (had they known of it) in order to channel those video game interests into something more mentally healthy, like reading. Amusingly enough, this book could surely rot a child's brain twice as fast as gaming.

stay true to what you learned in Castlevania

Wow, that's surprising. I wouldn't even put Super Castlevania IV in the top 5. It may have looked cool at first, but the level design and overall approach just felt wrong throughout.

Dracula's Curse is easily my favorite, with Rondo of Blood in a close second. Like many here, I would put Symphony of the Night somewhere in the top 3, if we were talking about all consoles.

And I do have a soft spot for the bizarre Simon's Quest. Here's hoping that Chicken is writing something as indicated.

Dang, hope this comes to NA. I'm a big Stravinsky fan, and particularly love Petrushka. Yes, I'm serious.

Miyamoto on SMW: It seems like every time we do a Mario game, four more people join the team. Sixteen people helped with Super Mario World, and it took us about three years to make. source

I'm sure he must have also complained about it being rushed, somewhere, but 3 years doesn't sound all that rushed. Based on when Nintendo finished Galaxy 2 and how they were talking about a hypothetical 3D Mario when the 3DS was first announced, this game's development was likely much shorter than 3 years. Anyhow, I don't really know about what went on behind the scenes, but SMW was easily the most polished and complete Mario yet, in my mind. I know, not as many levels as some other entries, but the levels felt more varied and surprising.

On maps, I know that we're arguing tiny differences in definitions, but I simply don't agree that a map is only a level select. It certainly can be that simple, but SMW (and even SMB3, to a much lesser extent) made it a part of the gameplay. It's not just a coating; the map offers crucial hints as to where there might be a secret path or world, or teases you with an unreachable pipe, and observation of it can be necessary to completing an area like the Forest of Illusion. Also note the paths that open or close in SMB3, and the airship blocking various routes as it moves.

One more Shigeru quote - I just found this one, and it comes in an article that does mention he once called it rushed, but now he's citing it as an all-time favorite: Super Mario World is something that included of course all the action you saw in Super Mario Bros., but it also had the map features, so it also had that element of players having to think about where they were going and what they were going to do next - emphasis mine ; )

Hubs can certainly be content, particularly a hub like that of M64 or Sunshine (I still love that square, haters be danged). Likewise, while 2D maps often belong to "presentation" more than content, I'd argue that it isn't always such a simple divide. There's no question that the artwork, secrets, and layout of the maps in SMW were just as significant to me as any in-level moment of the game. The way everything linked up to the five hidden connections of Star Road was fantastic.

And, remember the maps changing to autumn after you complete all the secret levels? It's those touches that made it such a great game.

I'll say this: zombies used to be much more frightening, before this lame obsession with them exploded over the past few years. Often seeing just a single Zombie in the REmake could be a harrowing experience... much like the Lisa Trevor bit that Chicken so eloquently explains above.

Now, pop culture is horribly over-saturated with zombie themes, and they've become little more than fodder for gross brutality and gore. I'd like for the whole zombie-apocalypse fantasy to just go away for a while; it has become tired, boring, and more a matter of mindless violence than fear.

I do like that they're bringing the power-up system to 3D, along with the run button. Linearity... not so much.

I certainly loved NSMBWii, but those 2D games have an arcade quickness (demonstrated in those Super Skills videos) that I'm not seeing in the videos for 3D Land; I'm not sure 3D is really a workable medium for that kind of speed gameplay. On the other hand, 3D is a great medium for mixing in explorative, open gameplay, so I hate to see that dropped.

(And... MK7, huh? Let's hope it doesn't disappoint. The videos so far haven't done it for me, but I have high expectations.)

@76 There's no need to be defiant.

@Adam

I tend to remember games by the general whole rather than particular parts, and there will be nothing to tie everything together without a map or hub. I can tell you all sorts of things about SMW and SML2 because when I remember one thing, I remember something else in relation to it on the map.

Thank you, I couldn't say it better myself. That's what I'm talking about with the importance of a map; it frames and unites the levels so that they feel like part of a more unified, memorable journey. It's actually hard for me to be all that excited about this game now that I've seen the level select. I'm sure it'll be a joy to play each stage, but... it's just missing something like this.

@Adam

Haha, well... if the boomerang ends up controlling sort of frisbee-like as I envision it, you might very well have a dungeon that requires you to perfectly nail a distant switch with it in order to proceed.

Of course, they'll probably just let you Z-target an enemy or item and have the boomerang automatically hit its goal regardless of your motion, but I can dream.

@daznsaz

He's talking about this cage. (By the way, I now see how easy it would have been if I'd realized sooner that you could break the lock and escape. I just tried to fight everyone before exiting.)

It's neat to see the developers taking all the different controls and mechanics from Wii Sports Resort but now repackaging them for use within a more sweeping adventure.

Now they've even taken the skydiving bit that introduced Wuhu:

Regarding scariness: an old pal of mine often plays these games in the daytime, and I feel like that's just wasting them. I only put in Resident Evil when I have the time and the right setup ready: no one but me at the house, late at night, every single light turned off.

That means I don't play these games often, but I make sure that they have the full potential to scare me. Anything short of that just feels pointless, particularly playing during the day.

Aw man, finally. That was one of the first games I looked for when I picked up a Wii and went on the store for the first time.

A 5/10? I'm a gonna butt stomp the hell out of you.

But seriously, while it doesn't compare favorably to the exquisite Game Boy games, this is a very fun and original take on platforming. It certainly ain't Mario-style platforming, nor is it quite like the style of the -Land series, but it's still great fun to romp around in these stages and bang things up for cash.

I'm all in favor of alternate ways of handling 3D platforming, and this was a gem in that sense. It's not perfect, but it's well worth adding to your GC collection, say I.