Nintendophiles 07.15.09: Super Mario Galaxy 2, Game & Watch on DSiWare, Resident Evil 5, and More!

Posted by Theo Fraser on 07.15.2009

A jam-packed edition of Nintendophiles covers Super Mario Galaxy 2 and who Miyamoto is catering the game towards, Resident Evil 5 potentially being ported to the Wii, Game & Watch titles set to arrive on DSiWare, the partial track list for Guitar Hero 5, plus High Voltage talk MotionPlus, as well as a rundown of the latest VC releases! Check it all out for yourself inside!




Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to welcome you all to another instalment of Nintendophiles; the place where the ‘Nintendo connoisseur' comes to dine. Things are starting to heat up in these parts as we approach mid-Summer, but fortunately we have the impending release of Wii Sports Resort to cool us off, with a spot of jet skiing and the like. Speaking of Resort...


The Wii Sports Resort Countdown-o-meter: 11 DAYS!

Woo! Not wanting to take anything away from Grand Slam Tennis or the latest Tiger Woods title, but Wii Sports Resort provides the first ‘killer app' for the MotionPlus accessory. It's pretty safe to say that this one is likely to fly off the shelves, and I wouldn't be surprised if we end up with a bit of a MotionPlus shortage, a la the Balance Board upon Wii Fit's release.

I've been playing a lot of Zack & Wiki recently and developed a hunger for good puzzle games, so I decided to splash out and give Professor Layton and the Curious Village a try. How has this game not been in my life before?! It is simply fantastic. Full of charm, a slowly evolving plotline that keeps twisting and turning, and puzzles that are very cleverly weaved into the proceedings (although there are still a few glaring exceptions, such as the "I'll find that missing cat for you if you can help three chickens cross a lake" scenario...then again I have no idea how that could possibly be interwoven in any kind of storyline), this is everything you could ask for from the genre. The sequel is out reasonably soon, Professor Layton and Pandora's Box, and you can be sure I'll be queuing in line on release day for that one!

Does everybody know what time it is? It's Tidbit News of the Week o' clock!


~ Skip Functionality in DS games too. Officially called ‘skip functionality', this is the patent that was uncovered earlier this year, allowing players to switch on the AI to control your avatar and take you through difficult sections of a game. Originally confirmed for the Wii (and first put to use in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, we now know it will be utilised in DS titles as well, starting this Autumn.

~Big things in store for Wii Vitality Sensor. At least, according to dear Reggie. "All I can tell you is, with the game developers that we have, we will bring forth an experience that you will say, 'Wow, I get it.' Until you have that software, it's tough to understand." OK, I'm intrigued, but I'll need more than hyperbole before I'm fully convinced.

~Konami and Hudson bring new survival horror to Wii. Don't pick up the phone; Calling will give you nightmares! Calling revolves around the urban legend of a website called the Page of Black. Anyone visiting the site falls into a coma and shortly thereafter dies. How pleasant. The game has you answering mysterious phone calls via the Wii remote, a la Travis Touchdown's conversations with Sylvia in No More Heroes. The emphasis is really on ‘survival' horror, as you won't have any weapons. More on this next week!

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Who does Super Mario Galaxy 2 cater to?
Credit: Nintendo Power




Ever since the Wii's conception and Nintendo's move towards providing games for the non-gamer and casual crowd alongside the occasional ‘core' offering, long-time Nintendo fans have grown increasingly wary of the company's future and the direction it is heading. The broad-minded fans (of which I like to think myself included) applaud the company's determination to win over new fans and bring gaming into the realm of the socially acceptable, so long as they don't mess up those classic Nintendo titles we all know and love. Mario, Zelda, Metroid; each a Nintendo staple, and each has appeared ‘untampered' thus far on the Wii. The releases of Super Mario Galaxy, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption were all heralded by core gamers the world over, and despite little touches that might have been included to appeal to the more casual gamer, they remained an experience tailored towards the ‘professional' gamer.

But when Nintendo's ‘skip functionality' patent was uncovered earlier this year, fans began to worry that the tide was about to turn. Nintendo seem keen to do even more to appeal to the casual audience, and it seems likely that sooner or later they would begin to employ this ideology in their trademark titles...such as Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Now judging by the debut trailer that was revealed at E3 last month, Galaxy 2 looks to be more of the same, and that can only be a good thing, of course. Galaxy is still one of the best Wii games out there, and although the sequel is more of a glorified expansion pack, I'm not complaining. Even sections from the trailer look devilishly hard, so surely we haven't got anything to worry about? We're still guaranteed a challenging Mario adventure, with the usual test of mind and skill, right? Miyamoto seems to be in two minds...

Shigeru Miyamoto: I do believe that there is a lot here to appeal to the more veteran and more experienced gamers, and I think it's a title that they will obviously enjoy. But I really took it into consideration and tried to do our best to create a game that's accessible to new gamers as well. And, you know, we also built it with consideration that we believe that people who played through the first Mario Galaxy have become better players.

I'm not really sure what that means, if I'm honest. What does Miyamoto mean about taking into consideration the fact that players of the original have become better? Does he mean he'll put even more challenging scenarios in for those gamers? Or is he hinting that those players aren't being catered for at all? Or does he perhaps infer a slightly less inclined learning curve, with easier introductory levels to ease new players into the experience, before ramping up the difficulty much later on? That could work, assuming the ‘easier' levels are still fun and involve some of the new gameplay mechanics. I'd be more than happy with that; I just don't want to be confronted by a watered-down Mario affair when all is said and done. Fingers crossed it won't come to that.

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Resident Evil 5 on Wii "may actually be possible"
Credit: Kotaku




I hold a special place in my heart for the ‘mothership'/mainline Resident Evil titles appearing on the Wii, especially as Resident Evil 4 found such a good home on the Gamecube and has sold well over the million mark on the Wii alone. So I was greatly saddened when it was announced that Resident Evil 5 would not be appearing on Nintendo systems due to technical limitations. Capcom wanted to take it the fancy-smancy visuals route (which is fair, as the series has consistently brought some of the best visuals on each platform it has appeared on), and the Wii simply did not factor into these plans.

However, after internal Capcom members got a recent look at Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles, the on-rails shooter heading to the Wii sometime next year, they were very impressed with the graphical capabilities of the engine used, and it now seems like we can't rule out an eventual port. Resi 5's producer, Masachika Kawata, was recently asked about the possibility of bringing the title to the Wii, and his response was timid...

Kawata: Hypothetically speaking, the Resident Evil 4 engine would work perfectly for replicating the gameplay but we would never be able to recreate the graphical quality. A gun shooting game like Darkside Chronicles makes much more sense for Wii so, in short, Resident Evil 5 Wii Edition isn't likely to happen. Having said that, Cavia has surprised us with the quality of graphics in Darkside Chronicles, so it may actually be possible after all...

Well there you have it. Resident Evil 5 didn't sell quite as well as the company had expected on 360 and PS3, so it's quite conceivable that Capcom would want to wring it for all it's worth and deliver it to a Nintendo audience as well. Watch this space!

Whilst we're on the subject of Darkside Chronicles, let's just take a moment to look at the FANTABULOUS (!) new trailer for the game. The visual excellence portrayed here clearly demonstrates that something like Resident Evil 5 could be brought to the Wii.

Video Games | Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles | Japan Expo Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

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High Voltage: Full potential of MotionPlus is "still yet to be seen"
Credit: ONM

The Conduit might not be the end to core gamers' woes, as some people seemed to think it would be, but developer High Voltage seem determined to become the stuff of every core gamer's wet dreams, constantly tantalising us with tasty blurbs about their plans for the future. With one for the mature gamers in Gladiator A.D. and the Left 4 Dead-wannabe (and that's not meant in a pejorative sense) The Grinder, the team have got their work cut out for them for the remainder of the year, and yet they're still talking about what will come after that. And it seems that a MotionPlus-enabled title is on the company's horizon.




Speaking broadly about the industry's reception of MotionPlus, High Voltage producer Cameron Rains assured us that the best is yet to come:

Cameron Rains: [We are] all about accessible gameplay and Wii MotionPlus is a further step in that direction. We've been messing about. At the moment you see all the stuff from EA and other companies concentrating a lot on the sports genre. The full potential is still yet to be seen but it won't be long in coming. Whenever you see new equipment and tools to play with, that just opens up the door for all kinds of creative new ideas. I'm sure we'll see in the next year some really cool stuff coming out on the Wii that could only work with Wii MotionPlus.


Unlike other third parties, it seems as though High Voltage haven't been swayed by the technical marvel that is Microsoft's Natal, choosing to stick firmly with Nintendo development. Yay!

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Game & Watch titles set for DSiWare
Credit: Nintendo Life

DSiWare hasn't seen any ‘invaluable' applications or titles as of yet, if you ask me, but that looks set to change, as Nintendo of Japan have just announced that they are planning to bring Game & Watch titles right to the palm of your hand via the DSIWare download service. Kind of like the Guitar Hero/Rock Band ‘track packs', Nintendo will be releasing the titles in named instalments every few weeks.

The debut set, entitled ‘Silver', features Ball, Flagman, Judge and Vermin. Each will cost a minimum of 200 DSi Points, and hits Japan TODAY. Wahey.

Scheduled for the future, Chef arrives on July 29th alongside Helmet, then Donkey Kong Jr and Mario's Cement Factory follow closely behind in early August, with Manhole due out that month as well.

Aside from this being a neat addition to the DSiWare catalogue (as some of these are really fun little games) I can't help but wonder if this is the first step in a move towards solidifying a DSi Virtual Console for old Game Boy titles. It's been discussed countless times on forums and gaming media sites, but Nintendo themselves have remained very cagey about what they have in store for the DSiWare service.

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Partial Guitar Hero 5 tracklist revealed
Credit: IGN

A complete but unofficial track listing for Guitar Hero 5 was leaked early last week, but this week we received some confirmation, albeit only partially, of the songs that have made it into this year's instalment. Check out what made the cut:

• Band Of Horses - "Cigarettes, Wedding Bands"


• Beastie Boys - "Gratitude"


• Beck - "Gamma Ray"


• Billy Squier - "Lonely Is The Night"


• Blur - "Song 2"


• Bob Dylan - "All Along The Watchtower"


• Children Of Bodom - "Done With Everything, Die For Nothing"


• Coldplay - "In My Place"


• Darkest Hour - "Demon(s)"


• David Bowie - "Fame"


• Deep Purple - "Woman From Tokyo ('99 Remix)"


• Elliott Smith - "L.A."


• Iggy Pop - "Lust For Life (Live)"


• Jeff Beck - "Scatterbrain (Live)"


• John Mellencamp - "Hurts So Good"


• Kings Of Leon - "Sex On Fire"


• Queens Of The Stone Age - "Make It Wit Chu"


• Rose Hill Drive - "Sneak Out"


• Santana - "No One To Depend On (Live)"


• The Bronx - "Six Days A Week"


• Thrice - "Deadbolt"


• Tom Petty - "Runnin' Down A Dream"


• Vampire Weekend - "A-Punk"


• Wolfmother - "Back Round"

Should I be ashamed that I know very few of those? Probably. I'm glad Elliott Smith is in though, that's pretty cool. And there's a fair bit of mainstream stuff in there too, again showing a willingness on Activision's part to try to widen their fanbase, perhaps nabbing some of their DS following from the On Tour titles, which are a lot more ‘poppy'.

It's pointless me analysing the list any more, as it always comes down to personal preference with these things, but as ever you should find something to cater to all tastes. After "Beat It" made the World Tour tracklist last year, I wonder if we'll see any more MJ? I'm praying for "Smooth Criminal", that would be sensational. SENSATIONAL I tell you!

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Virtual Console/WiiWare Releases: Week beginning July 13th

Due to popular demand, each week I will now be including a quick rundown of the latest titles to hit the Virtual Console, WiiWare and/or DSiWare services. You'll never miss those vital downloads again!




[Proper banner coming soon!]


[VIRTUAL CONSOLE]

~ Pulseman - 900 Wii Points

• The Blurb: When noted 21st-century scientist Doc Yoshimaya fell in love with one of his C-Life artificial-intelligence creations, he uploaded himself into his computer, where her program core merged with his DNA, and half-human/half-C-Life Pulseman was born. Doc Yoshimaya's mind twisted as he emerged back into real life, and he became evil Doc Waruyama. Use Pulseman's ability to harness electricity as a weapon with his Volteccer attack as a means of rapid transport to fight Waruyama's Galaxy Gang across seven crazy stages. Find out why this SEGA Channel classic was widely regarded as one of the best-looking games for SEGA's MEGA DRIVE (Genesis) on release.

~ Secret Command - 600 Wii Points

• The Blurb: Play as a lone warrior, armed to the teeth, sent on a top-secret commando mission behind enemy lines to liberate your comrades at arms. Released on the SEGA Master System in Europe as Secret Command, players will battle frenzied attacks from enemy soldiers, rocket troops, tanks and other enemies doing everything they can to stop you from saving the hostages. Use your trusty machine gun and a compound bow, equipped with explosive-tipped arrows, to pave the way to victory. Let nothing stand in your path. Play it with a friend in two-player mode for double the fire power.

[WIIWARE]

~ Bit Boy!! - 600 Wii Points

• The Blurb: Get ready for the most spectacular journey through time in the history of video games!! Accompany Bit Boy Kubi through a crazy pixellated adventure and battle hordes of nasty monsters in 4-bit dungeons, 8-bit caves, 16-bit strongholds, 32-bit labyrinths, 64-bit arenas and 128-bit worlds!! Rescue Kubi's friends!! Set off in the ultimate pursuit of fruits and high scores!! Grab a friend for even more fun in Cooperative mode!! The Wii Remote is your joystick – let the arcade adventure begin!!

~ Incoming! - 500 Wii Points

• The Blurb: The goal of Incoming! is to defeat your opponents by destroying their tanks using the arsenal you have at your disposal. Advanced arsenals become available at different levels of the game. Incoming! is great fun for two people to play competitively. Can you defeat your opponent's tanks before they conquer yours? Collect power-ups to give your arsenal that tactical advantage. Your firing must be quick and your aim true to claim victory.

~ Ant Nation - 700 Wii Points

• The Blurb: The beloved childhood pastime of lazy Sundays spent with a magnifying glass and an ant farm finally arrives in its most mischievous form via the WiiWare service. You must train your colony of Super Ants using a devilishly fun toolset. Zap, torch and manipulate your ants to make them numerous enough and tough enough to survive a variety of increasingly difficult challenges.
  
  -Zap your ants with lasers, fry them with your trusty magnifying glass, send down lightning and much more to build them to be the strongest Ants on the block.
  
  - Send your ants into war against local bullies like spiders and ladybugs. Is your colony ready for the fight?
  
  -100 missions keep you busy facing a smorgasbord of fun and wacky tasks.
  
  -Bonus mode features 20 additional challenges that allow you to get crazy with all your favorite weapons of ant destruction.
  
  - Use your Wii Remote controller to drop a virtual hammer on your ants, use your Wii Remote like a metal detector to find in-game gold and much more.

[DSIWARE]

~ Brain Challenge - 800 DSi Points

• The Blurb: Just like your body, your brain needs exercise to stay in shape. Brain Challenge is a simple, entertaining solution for stimulating your neurons that goes way beyond logic tests. Thanks to a complete range of 48 mini-games, Brain Challenge provides an exceptional variety of exercises. Not only can you train your brain for Math but also for four other categories: Logic, Focus, Memory and Visual. Plus an original Stress Mode, featuring multitasking and authority challenges, Plus, you can now personalize your profile and some exercises with your own photos.

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The 411 Games Crew

Mark Salmela checks in with the B3yond the Report Sony News Report.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly News Report is presented by Armando Rodriguez.

Joe Roche and Armando Rodriguez battle it out in this week's 411 Games Fact or Fiction.

Sam Pow looks at Unreal Tournament 3 in this week's Game POW.

Adam Larck counts down the Top 10 Zombie Games in the latest edition of The 10th Hour.


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That wraps up another week here at Nintendophiles! See you next week as we continue our countdown towards Wii Sports Resort! :)

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