The Tanooki » Ryan

Wii Speak isn’t completely locked

Ryan — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 01:12:47 +0000

Considering that the Wii Speak peripheral has a special code to unlock the channel, it seemed like Nintendo wanted to lock these units to a specific console similarly to the software DRM as of late. It seems like this isn’t entirely true, as Nintendo will give replacement codes to customers who lost the original code, or need to transfer their Wii Speak to another Wii due to a console exchange. The question is, will Nintendo provide new codes to people who buy second hand Wii units?

At this point I think it can go either way, publishers and developers alike have discussed their dislike of second hand software and units. But in all honesty I think it will be based on how you talk to customer service. If you tell them you bought it at the flea market they might be a little upset, but if you tell them that you are transferring the Wii Speak from one Wii to another (The flea market guy’s Wii to yours), they shouldn’t have any problem providing it.

Gameindustry.biz

Animal Cruelty possible with Animal Boxing

Ryan — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 03:39:36 +0000

Have you ever wanted to get back at your dog or feline for various “schnanagins”, but don’t have the heart to even scold your pet? It looks like gamers can still let out some of that pent up anger by going toe-to-toe with various boxers from the animal kingdom. Animal Boxing on the Nintendo DS will allow you to play as a customizable character as you fight your way through fifty different animals, each with their own specific stats and/or traits.

For those of you who have random urges to punch warthogs in the face without getting your limbs chewed up, or have the need to verify if pengins have “glass” jaws, look no further. I just wonder how long it will take PETA to make a few phone calls, but I don’t think it will be possible to avoid the wrath as easily as others.

Destructiod

Will casual gaming come to a premature end?

Ryan — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 03:13:04 +0000

Considering the extreme boom that the Wii and Nintendo DS/DSi have received from the population due to various gaming purchases from “casual” games/gamers, it seems like publishers and gamers alike are preparing for a crash similar to the stock market. A few publishers such as EA have already shut down their “casual” gaming divisions to “trim the fat.” Is it possible that we could see a huge dip in the casual gaming market similar to that of a barrel of oil?

While a dip in sales is possible, I honestly don’t think think that “casual” gaming can ever disappear, but I sincerely hope that publishers and developers alike discover that it’s not necessarily “casual” games/gamers that are at the root of the problem if there is a sharp decline. They need to stop the market saturation with all the “shovelware” that has been wasting shelf space these last couple of years, and spend the few extra dollars and time to give us a more complete “casual experience.”

Codename Revolution

A Resident Evil 5 Wii port will be difficult for Capcom

Ryan — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:41:50 +0000

With the amazing controls that were added to the Wii Edition of Resident Evil 4, it would seem foolish not to think about a possibility of a Resident Evil 5 port. Capcom has indeed been pondering this question, the game’s producer, Jun Takeuchi, has stated:

Hmm…honestly speaking, we’re kind of pushing the 360 and PS3 to their limits right now, so it would probably be pretty difficult to create a Wii version of RE5.

Even though a Wii port at this position seems difficult, I can’t help but get the feeling of “Sour Grapes” from various Wii fans/haters that have stated, “If Capcom doesn’t do it, it probably wouldn’t be any good anyways.”

Destructoid

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia – Review

Ryan — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:38:12 +0000

Castlevania has had its fair share of “Ups and Downs” over the years, which started with the famous gameplay schism that began with the PlayStation title, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. What was once an insanely hard right to left platforming game starring a chain whip wielding warrior from the legendary Belmont family, is now home to a new type of gameplay that heavily borrows item upgrading and exploration from Super Metroid. With the introduction of new characters with no relation to any Belmonts whatsoever, the story has taken a lot of dramatic twists and turns (good and bad) over the years. The series had a hard time moving up to three dimensions starting with Caslevania 64, and the current 3-D versions that have hit the market with consistent critical reviews. Due to the fact that the 3-D universe has always been marked with such animosity, it is the 2-D games that continue to prosper on the Nintendo DS, and Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is no different.

For those of you who haven’t kept tabs on this series that started in 1986 with Akumaj? Dracula (released as Castlevania on the NES), you take the role of various vampire hunters throughout the ages on a hopeless quest to kill the infamous Count Dracula and his minions using various classic weapons such as holy water, or white magic consisting of beams of holy light. “Pre-Symphony of the Night” chapters had you controlling characters with a family curse wielding the legendary whip known as the “Vampire Killer,” while the “Post-Symphony of the Night” games don’t follow any standard weapon, nor do they conform to any specific set of rules that was followed in the previous installments.

Castlevaina: Order of Ecclesia stars a woman by the name of Shanoa, who is a member of a secret society whose sole purpose is disposing Dracula after the disappearance of the Belmont clan in the 1800s. She is handpicked by the Order’s leader, Barlowe, to put a stop to the resurrection of Dracula due to her ability to harness a triad of magical “Glyphs” based on Dracula’s own power “Dominus.” In the beginning of the first act, she is betrayed by a former Order member by the name of Albus, who steals the “Dominus” for himself, and wipes out Shanoa’s memory. It is now up to Shanoa to track down Albus to re-obtain the “Dominus” to keep Dracula in his eternal slumber.

Castlevania games have tried to increase the story line with many of it’s “Post-Symphony” games by adding new character backgrounds and new sub-plots, but considering that these games no longer follow the famous Belmont clan, and that all the characters change from each DS iteration, it is really hard to care for these characters or missions. With the limited amount of tools at the “script-writers” disposal, it doesn’t leave them with many options for creativity or an epic storyline. This is also apparent by its easily predictable story chapters and lack of compassion for character cause and effect. This is one area where less is more.

When the game begins, the player is immediately thrown into a small tutorial with sample enemies with instructions on how to control Shanoa and use these newly acquired “Glyphs.” Once you have completed the tutorial, you are shown the world map. The map is bare initially, but expands as you complete each stage. The first phrase that comes to mind while playing through the various stages is: “Don’t fix what isn’t broken.” The game is essentially identical to the previous DS incarnations. You use the top screen as a map as you plow as many enemies down as possible until you reach a block that cannot be reached without a certain item or weapon that can only be found by defeating various bosses, digging deeper in other stages, or simply leveling up Shanoa to withstand the tougher enemies.

The biggest upgrade to the Castlevania series is the newly added “Glyph” system. Instead of obtaining weapons for battle such as swords, axes, knives, etc., you must defeat certain enemies and “hope” they drop a Glyph. I say “hope” because while they drop freely in the beginning of the game, in later stages they are nearly impossible to obtain without destroying dozens and dozens of the enemies over and over again. You can assign different Glyphs to the “X,” “Y,” and “R” buttons to perform multiple weapon combinations. The player can save three different configurations that can be cycled during gameplay by holding A and pressing “L” or “R.” Unfortunately, the later stages in the game have various enemies on the screen with different weakness and you are forced to switch weapons immediately after dispatching one enemy for another. There were occasions when I had to stop playing for extended periods of time because this switching causes a lot of cramping in the hands. Another offensive option in the game is the strong weapon combo attack. Depending on the weapons selected, you can perform different attacks, but it’s pretty “gimmicky” as most of the weapon combos don’t really add much to the game and you will stick to weapons that work the most for you. The Glyph system is also crippled with a decreasing MP bar even when you are using a melee weapon. There is nothing more frustrating then being defenseless while you are attacking an Axe Guard, simply because you “stabbed” him too many times than the MP bar will allow, and must wait for the MP bar to recharge. The developers should have kept the MP bar strictly for projectile weapons, white/black magic spells or transformations. Boss fights also suffer from what I like to call the “Golden Weapon Curse.” The boss fights don’t require much skill or practice, instead you just need to figure out which weapon combinations are the most useful, and the player can use these “Golden Weapons” to defeat the bosses without any real difficulty. There are tons of Glyphs to find throughout the game, and there exists a lot of variety from laser beams, bows/arrows to spears, but no whips. How can you play Castlevania without a whip?

The side quests have returned from Portrait of Ruin, except that you can complete various errands from villagers that you save throughout the world map. Rather than strictly focusing on treasure hunting, some of your goals resemble “achievements,” such as hunting down 10 Werewolves, recording screams from a Banshee, or taking pictures of a Yeti in exchange for items or equipment. Be warned: some villagers will ask for rare items that drop once in a blue moon. Be prepared to kill the same enemies for hours until they drop what you are looking for. I will be the first to admit that, like all types of rewarding systems, these quests can be quite addicting, especially if you strive to obtain 100% completion.

It must simply be stated that the art direction is fantastic! They decided to eliminate the “anime feel” and go back to the original Vampire “Gothic” art that was apparent from previous games. In case you are all wondering, Dracula has been redesigned to look like a man again! The environments are similar to Castlevania II/III/IV, which consist of gloomy terrain in different places on the map. One minute you are fighting skeletons in a prison yard, and the next you are climbing atop an ice water fall looking for a Glyph to continue with the mission. There are also a few stages that have a “retro” feel, in the sense that once you start the stage, you can only go one direction while being bombarded by enemies without any help from save stations or other items. You will die a lot in these these areas if you have forgotten to use that “old school” strategy rather than plow enemies foolishly.

While the music is great, it’s not a real departure from the previous adventures. What really stands out are the sound effects. A lot of the characters in this game have actual voice over, and I’ve been startled a few times after I’ve killed enemies only to hear them scream or yell. Some enemies even laugh at you, or say, “You look delicious.” The only annoyance is that some characters will have the exact “grunts” as other characters that are nothing alike. A grunt that comes from an Invisible Man is sometimes the same grunt that comes from a plant monster. You would think that the grass that is lodged inside the throat of a “Swamp Thing” would prevent the “Smoker’s Lung Cough” that obviously the Invisible Man had coming to him due to his two-pack a day addiction.

While this game has some weakness and annoyances, this is a good chapter in the Castlevania series. It extends what was given to us in previous Nintendo DS installments and adds some classic elements as well. While it doesn’t really push the envelop as far as one would hope, I would recommended this game for any Castlevania fan as an expansion to the previous titles rather than an entire new quest. Like all Castlevania titles on the DS, this title is as good as any to begin if you’ve ever wanted to become a vampire hunter.

The Tanooki Rating – 9.0

Hit the tables with Alien Crush on WiiWare

Ryan — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:16:59 +0000

Many tears have been shed over the years with the closure of many arcades across the country, along with the hordes of coin-op pinball machines from various bars, gas stations and pizza joints. Hudson is currently developing a science fiction based pinball game exclusively for WiiWare. Peter Dassenko has stated:

You’ll see a few different tables. They all have the same sci-fi alien feel, but each one features different enemies and has different target and ramp layouts. It’s pinball, but it’s not your father’s pinball.

For those of you who don’t remember the previous TurboGraphix-16 Alien Crush, you are in for a treat! Thanks Jim for the tip!

TheBBPS.COM

Super Mario “Winds-up” his style with Kuribo’s Shoe

Ryan — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:34:11 +0000

Even though Super Mario Bros. 3 is one of my favorite games of all time, to this day I still wonder who came up with the idea of having Super Mario inside a giant sock jumping on Goombas. I understand that it is located deep inside the vaults of various Nintendo Big Wig’s brains, but I can only imagine how silly it must have sounded to others during a Super Mario Bros. 3 development staff meeting. These age old wonders haven’t stopped talented crocheter from constructing Mario himself tucked away inside Kuribo’s shoe.

Looks like it’s time to dust off the old classic controller, and find this shoe again on Super Mario Bros. 3 and ponder yet another question. Why in the world can the sock jump on spikes? Thanks Adriel for the tip!

Blogspot

Nintendo to add more RAM to the DSi

Ryan — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:50:27 +0000

It looks like there is another overlooked feature inside the DSi. The newly announced Nintendo DSi will also include an increased supply of RAM for the system. Opera CEO Jon von Tezchner has stated:

Yes, the DSi has more RAM than the DS Lite. In addition, with integrated Opera coming with the DSi, it will use RAM more efficiently.

This makes sense considering the DSi will include a built in browser, and the previous browser by Opera used an RAM expansion pack that had to be inserted inside the now abandoned GBA port. Will this RAM be used for future gaming? Possibly for upcoming downloadable titles? Your guess is as good as mine.

Destructoid

The Clone Wars developers knew about Motion Plus

Ryan — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:44:01 +0000

Woah! Say what?!?! It looks like the developers of the game Star Wars: The Clone Wars did in fact know about the Motion plus attachment before it’s E3 debut, contrary to popular knowledge that nobody from LucasArts knew about this beforehand. Producer Ken Fox from Krome, who has been working on Lightsaber Duels for the Wii has stated:

Yes, Nintendo did give us a heads-up about MotionPlus. As far as I know, MotionPlus won’t be available until 2009, so it won’t be in our game since it launches in November 2008. We feel the original remote enables fans to live out the fantasy of wielding the Wii remote like a Lightsaber. We’re very proud of the experience that Lightsaber Duels provides.

Oh well, I figure that there will eventually be a Star Wars game that will feature 1:1 light saber control. I guess we will all have to wait for a realistic light saber game later than sooner, but again a motion plus-less Wii remote is still better than dual analog sticks.

N-Europe

Sony takes a shot at the Nintendo DSi

Ryan — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:52:56 +0000

While many of you out there might still be a little ticked off that the Nintendo DSi will eliminate the GBA slot, and the shortened battery life, it looks like you weren’t the only ones ready to speak their mind. Sony’s Director of Hardware Marketing, John Koller recently gave his opinion on the newest Nintendo handheld revision:

I can see the DSi being successful. The DS lite was obviously very successful. Will DSi do well with [the DS's] demographic? It probably will. Will it be a product that expands their user base [beyond] under 12? I’m not sure.

Ouch! It looks like somebody is a little upset that the DSi will feature additions that move in on somebody’s home turf.

Gizmodo

Easily overlooked Nintendo DSi features

Ryan — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:47:24 +0000

Most of us know all about the dual cameras, music support and replacement of the GBA slot for a SD card slot, what about some of the other features or modifications the Nintendo DSi will bring.

The first and most important overlooked feature is the inclusion of WPA/WPA2 support! We no longer will have to resort to dropping the security of our wireless routers to play some Mario Kart DS matches or trade items on Castlevania titles.

The second feature is the modification of the volume adjuster. It will be replaced with a “rocker” switch similar to the Gameboy Micro. It has also been moved to the left hand side of the DSi. This way we no longer will accidently knock the switch screwing up our much needed Contra 4 concentration.

The third feature is the availability of Brain Age titles at launch. The will be released as ““Literature” and “Science” editions. I wonder if a “Math” or “Physical Education” editions will be future DLC.

The fourth feature is an interesting one. The DSi will feature built-in software called Moving Notebook. This software allows the user to create small animated memos, as well as use the internal mic for adding audio. Definitely needed for letting your creativity fly during those slow school lecture days.

The fifth feature is the availability of various DSi sound visualizers. While I haven’t seen any cool looking laser beams or volcanic colors flashing around similarly to Windows Media Player or iTunes, the DS will “sport” cute animations such as chicks hatching from eggs or the Excitebike man jumping ramps.

The sixth feature is an additional brightness setting. The DSi will now have five different brightness settings compared to the DSLite handheld’s four settings. No word as to whether or not it will be a hardware switch, or will stick to the annoying boot-up only change.

The seventh feature is shorter charge time. The DSi will take 2.5 hours for a full charge compared to the original DSLite’s 3 hour battery charge. Too bad the DSi will actually have an hour less of play time than the DSLite.

Tiny Cartridge

The Conduit – Bells and Whistles Demonstration

Ryan — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:32:26 +0000

Many of us have been familiar with the title The Conduit for a while now, but recently the developers at High Voltage Software have provided a short video displaying some of the new Quantum3 engine extras they have been working on.

Here’s hoping that High Voltage will provide the Quantum3 engine as “middleware” to other development teams similarly to the Unreal 3 engine for the 360/PS3. With it’s fully customizable controls and it’s ability to push the Wii’s hardware beyond the scope of what other developers realize these days, it can easily give us an array of enjoyable first person shooters.

You Tube

Little Mac is back! Punch-Out!! Trailer

Ryan — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:09:57 +0000

Even though the announcement for Punch-Out!! was last week, a trailer hasn’t shown up in all it’s glory until recently. It’s nice to see that this game will keep it’s “old skool” charm, and has given classic characters such as King Hippo their worthy current-gen counterparts.

It’s also reassuring that Nintendo is keeping with the non politically correct characters. I screamed like a little girl with joy when I seen Von Kaiser’s huge German mustache, and giggled when I found out Glass Joe keeps croissants in his boxer shorts while he fights. On another note, when did Little Mac become brown?

You Tube

Nintendo DSi downloads to be locked

Ryan — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:36:10 +0000

For those of you who are “giddy” enough to import the Nintendo DSi early might want to hold off. Nintendo has announced that the DSi will in fact make the DSWare software region locked.

DSi is region locked because DSi embeds net communication functionality within itself, and we are intending to provide net services specifically tailored for each region.

While this isn’t any surprise considering that the Virtual Console software is region locked, it does make that “import tax” seem a little unnecessarily high. There might be some of you who may want to import strictly for the media capabilities, I have reason to believe that most of us want this console for its future downloads. Metroid II, I’m looking at you!

Gamasutra

Pirates and Ninjas to finally settle the score on WiiWare

Ryan — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:05:44 +0000

Considering it’s all the rage these days for internet junkies to post their opinion on who is “cooler” on a blog site between pirates and ninjas, most of us “Gamers” don’t bother wasting time posting mindless rants on the subject. We know that that the game Pirates VS. Ninjas Dodgeball will give us the ultimate answer. While this game has been previously confirmed for XBL, Gamecock president Harry Miller has stated:

The competition between the Pirates and the Ninjas is so huge that battles are breaking out all over. We’re happy to bring this grand conflict to the Wii, and give players the chance to help determine who the ultimate champions are.

So who would win in a fight, Raphael (The Ninja Turtle, not the painter/architect) or Long John Silver? While some lose sleep over that, I’m curious who would win in a dodgeball fight between a terminator or “Bub” from the original Day of the Dead movie. That’s right, you can also select robots and zombies as well!

Pirates VS. Ninjas

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