Nintendophiles 10.07.09: Red Steel 2, Super Guide, Tales of Graces, DJ Hero
Posted by Theo Fraser on 10.07.2009
This week’s Nintendophiles covers Red Steel 2 being polished due to its delay, Nintendo’s ‘Super Guide’ in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Tales of Graces’ connectivity with the DS, DJ Hero’s future, Monster Hunter 3's online component and more!
Welcome one and all to this week's edition of Nintendophiles! I had to have a big session on Mario Kart Wii today to give my poor heart a rest. See, I hooked my PC up to my big new TV/monitor, and decided it would be a good idea to play Bioshock at 2am in the pitch black with headphones on. Yes, it was an exhilarating experience, but at the price of nearly scaring me into an early grave. Needless to say, I was in need of some primary colors and the happy-go-lucky, carefree attitudes of a Toad, Yoshi, Mario and co. were the perfect antidote to wailing nurses with half their faces missing. Before I dwell on that any longer, let's hastily move onto Tidbit News of the Week!
~Sin and Punishment 2 to feature multiple control methods. The eagerly-anticipated S&P2 will have Wii-remote and nunchuk control as default, but the option is there to control your on-screen characters in a number of other ways. Traditionalists can choose between the Classic Controller, Classic Controller Pro and the trusty Gamecube controller, with Wii Zapper implementation too. Nice.
~ New RPG results in biggest DS cartridge yet. Studio Ghibli (of anime Spirited Away fame) is teaming up with Level-5 to bring a brand new RPG experience to the DS, fitting inside the largest DS cartridge yet produced at 4GB. Considering your average UMD disc is 1.8GB, this is a considerably large game for a handheld device. Expect some hefty anime cutscenes.
~ Epic Mickey is Wii exclusive. This is the new Mickey Mouse Wii adventure/role-playing title, which sees a return to the darker Mickey of old, where Oswald the Rabbit is out to get revenge on Mickey, jealous about his rise to stardom and never-ending popularity. With Warren Spector of Deus Ex fame on board, this is likely to be one to watch. The title employs an Okami-esque paintbrush mechanic, which bodes very well as that particular component of Okami is very highly praised by the gaming media. Other utensils are also used, such as erasers and pencils, with each item assigned to different Wii remote motions. We've only seen concept art as of yet, but it's got a fresh, unique look to it, and I can't wait to see more.
Red Steel 2 delay brings about significant polish
Credit: Nintendo Dpad
The delayed Red Steel 2 launch from Winter 2009 to Early 2010 was a big blow to the core Wii gamer, and perhaps even more so for Nintendo who, for once, had allowed third parties to make a bigger impact in their Christmas lineup, pushing New Super Mario Bros. as their primary title, leaving room for other developers to step up and fill in the gaps. I have commented numerous times here in Nintendophiles over the last few months that Ubisoft had better utilise their extra time wisely, and fortunately it would appear that they have done everything physically possible in the time given to ensure a thrilling video game experience is had by all.
For starters, we are told that the title never dips below 60FPS, and at times raises to a staggering 80FPS, which is almost unprecedented on the Wii. But the time has mainly been spent integrating the MotionPlus technology to the point where ‘waggle/shake' motions are ineffective, forcing you to actually pull off the sword slashes and dices as depicted by your avatar. Previously in Wii titles, as any Wii gamer will attest to, you could get away with simply shaking the remote, so long as it picked up some kind of definite movement. Jason Vandenberghe of the Red Steel 2 development team assures us that the title requires skill, negating the gesture-based equivalent of ‘button-mashing'.
Jason Vandenberghe: We've beaten the waggle, you can't play like this. Controls are at the center of play, and if you don't get controls right first, nothing after that matters. The promise with Red Steel 2 is to bring swordfighting to the Wii, and with MotionPlus it brings that promise to life.
Clearly this is the title of choice for the neglected core gamer, and it's fantastic to see a third party developer implementing MotionPlus technology to its full extent. Assuming it all works accurately, we've got an absolute gem on our hands. Roll on 2010, this is easily one of my most anticipated games for the coming year.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii reaches North American shores on November 15th, and while any new Mario title is a significant occasion in itself, this particular release is even more noteworthy, as it brings about the debut of Nintendo's new Demo Play concept, now renamed ‘Super Guide', which allows players to pass control over to the computer to get through difficult sections of a game.
Up until now, the vocal internet community had remained sceptical, insisting that the implementation of such a gimmick would cheapen the achievements of skilled gamers by letting ‘lesser' players progress past areas that would normally stump your average gamer. While the obvious response would be ‘Surely it can't be a bad thing to let any gamer see the conclusion of their purchased title?' it nonetheless raised the ire of the diehard Nintendo fans. However, it now turns out that this Super Guide won't actually complete the section for you, instead merely showing you how it's completed. You'll be able to jump in and resume control at any time, but you won't be able to just leave the console playing itself until the game's completed. Why you'd want to do that anyway I have no idea, but there ya go.
For those worried about the mode interfering with your playthrough, it can be entirely turned off in the Options menu if you so wish. And for those who originally worried that this was a sign of Nintendo pandering to the masses and feared the company making their games easier, recent reports suggest that New Super Mario Bros. Wii will actually have an increased difficulty level, which is ‘allowed' due to the Super Guide. With the Super Guide scheduled to be a part of all future big Nintendo releases (where appropriate, of course; we won't be seeing it in Mario Tennis or anything), there is a school of thought that says Nintendo is planning to return to their hardcore roots in a big way. With just over a month until NSMBW's release, we'll find out soon enough if there really is a significant step up in difficulty.
Tales of Graces to feature Wii-to-DS connectivity
Credit: IGN
After what many considered a disappointing debut on Wii with Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (I can't really judge as the title isn't released in the UK until later next month), the Tales Of franchise returns with a bang with the latest ‘mothership' title, Tales of Graces, which hits Japan in December. New information has just been uncovered, detailing a Wii-to-DS connectivity feature, allowing you to play the 'Kamenin Merchant' mini-game on Nintendo's handheld.
Accessed via a download from the Wii game, Kamenin Merchant can be downloaded onto the DS to take on your travels. The concept of the mini-game is to explore randomly-generated dungeons with up to three other players (it's unclear if these characters will be computer-controlled or if three friends will be required for play), and the treasures and items you collect along the way can then be transferred back to the main console game, giving you access to special gear and weapons. Conversely, you'll open up new areas and levels in the mini-game by progressing with the main Wii game, and data can be transferred back and forth between Wii and DS (which is how you'll save your progress in the DS mini-game; link back up with the Wii and it'll do it for you).
Namco Bandai are currently discussing the idea of bringing the mini-game to DSiWare, although I'd imagine it'd be a rather dull affair if you haven't got the console title to unlock anything for. Perhaps there are plans to expand it in some form, but any specifics are unknown, although word is expected to be heard in the near future. Kamenin Merchant isn't going to seal the deal; no one will be swayed to buy Graces purely for the bonus mini-game. However, it's a terrific little extra to reward Tales Of devotees who want to garner every last scrap of what Namco Bandai are offering. I sincerely hope more developers start employing this kind of thinking, giving gamers their money's worth with bonus content and the like. The 360 and PS3 have a much more prevalent DLC community, and although this obviously involves an extra price tag, I'd welcome the option on Nintendo's home console, as apart from the music/rhythm titles such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band, DLC is almost non-existent on Wii. Bonus content helps to round out the overall package and goes a long way in showing how much care and attention a developer has put into the game; by going the extra mile, it's clear the developer wants you, the player, to get as much out of it as they've put into it. It's a simple concept really, but it's amazing how many developers ignore this kind of thing.
DJ Hero sequel/expansion planned already
Credit: IGN
When DJ Hero was first announced, I think the first response was a mass ‘WTF?' from the gaming public. We knew Activision were intent on milking the Guitar Hero franchise dry, but to start moving into turntable territory seemed rather odd, to say the least. However, hands-on previews with the final code of the game have been extremely positive, with some going so far as to say it reinvigorates the entire genre and gives you the same feeling as that first time you picked up a plastic guitar and started strumming along to ‘I Love Rock and Roll' in the original Guitar Hero. High praise indeed, I think you'll agree, so it would seem that DJ Hero has all the makings of a modern classic. With this in mind, it only seems natural to start looking towards potential expansions and sequels.
It is currently being reported that an unnamed UK developer is working in conjunction with FreeStyleGames (DJ Hero's developer) in order to recruit and sign new talent/musicians for DLC updates as well as a potential sequel. I say potential, but we all know for a fact there'll be a sequel at some point. One name that has apparently been approached is DJ Qbert. ‘Who?' I hear you cry? This guy:
Still means nothing to me, but I'm assuming there are those of you out there who are more savvy to this kind of thing. DJ Qbert has in theory been recruited, although this isn't a surprise to many as he's been used by Activision before as part of the Tony Hawk Underground soundtrack. Who else will make the cut? Will we get frequent updates a la Guitar Hero? Or is this actually a sign that work on the sequel is already under way? All eyes are on Activision to speak up.
Capcom to remove Monster Hunter 3 fees for Western launch?
Credit: MyWii
With the Monster Hunter franchise being so popular in Japan, it's no wonder Monster Hunter 3 has sold fantastically well, driving Wii console sales to levels Nintendo hasn't seen in months. The title will be headed to these shores in the not too distant future, but the real question is how the online component will function over here. In Japan, with the series being so popular, a subscription service is perfectly acceptable, but it probably wouldn't float so well in the US, considering its relative lack of exposure. Capcom representatives Chris Kramer (Senior Director of Communications and Community for Capcom USA) and Ryozo Tsjmoto (Capcom Producer) spoke about the title's ‘journey' to the West and what we can expect in terms of online play.
Chris Kramer:[Removing fees is] something that we're looking into at the moment and there are a few factors to consider. Firstly, Monster Hunter isn't as popular in the West, so it might put people off. Secondly, Japan doesn't have Friend Codes, so Capcom run all the servers and the monthly fee is essentially to pay for those costs.
Ryozo Tsjmoto:We're looking into a bunch a different things and one of the things is definitely like, a lot of users have asked for voice chat. We're looking into right now whether it's technically possible or not. And so if it is, maybe we'll make an announcement. If it isn't, you know, if it realistically can't be done, then I'm sorry we may have to leave it out. But we're looking into it.
I'm loving the possibility of Wii Speak being featured, but to be honest just the prospect of not having to pay to play is pretty damn sweet. Fingers crossed it all works out.
Week Beginning 10/05/09
[VIRTUAL CONSOLE]
~ FINAL FANTASY [NES] - 500 Wii Points
The Blurb: The world lies shrouded in darkness. The winds die. The sea rages. The earth decays. But the people believe in a prophecy, patiently awaiting its fulfillment. "When darkness veils the earth, four Warriors of Light shall come...." After a long journey, four young travelers did at last appear, and in the hand of each was clutched a crystal.
[WIIWARE]
~ Word Searcher - 500 Wii Points
The Blurb: You'll need a sharp eye and a quick mind to complete 100 themed word-search puzzles. Word Searcher contains fun words from multiple categories including anatomy, world cities and U.S. presidents. With a huge assortment of subjects to choose from, there's sure to be a puzzle for everyone to enjoy. Help improve your vocabulary, memory and problem-solving skills with these engaging puzzles. Track and try to beat your own play-through times again and again—words are scrambled every time you play.
[DSIWARE]
~ Thorium Wars - 1,000 DSi Points
The Blurb: In Thorium Wars, you must stop the Thorions, a super species of Thorium-based machines, from destroying mankind. Blast through waves of Thorions by controlling an arsenal of tanks, skyfighters, hovercrafts, gunboats and starfighters with either the standard or touch-screen controls. In 12 exciting missions, navigate through a variety of combat environments while viewing 360 degrees of the battlefield, fully rendered in 3-D. Toggle between first- and third-person views to destroy the terrifying army of Thorium beasts, from swarms of Redeye Drones to the bone-crushing Manticore Walker. This man-versus-machine battle proves to be the ultimate test for the survival of the fittest.
Be sure to check back next week for the Nintendophiles Third Year Anniversary column! Three years certainly fly by, I can tell you that. So come along next week and bring your party hat! Woooooop!!
