Nintendophiles 03.01.07
Posted by Theo Fraser on 03.01.2007
The Donkey Kong Rap. What more could you possibly want from me? Well OK then, how about details on The Golden Compass, SimCity DS screenshots and gameplay info, and the first ever in-game screenshot and movie of Disaster: Day of Crisis?
Well I am jumping up and down like a schoolgirl right now as I prepare to go up to Liverpool for the weekend to watch the Ring of Honor doubleshot. Check out the ROH Roundtable over in the Wrestling section if you're interested, which should have gone up by now. Anyway, it's going to be a pant-wettingly awesome weekend, and I've been excited for months now, so I'm glad it's finally here. This week, however, has been equally exciting, as I found out some new info on Disaster: Day of Crisis, one of my more anticipated games coming out for the Wii this year. Read on to find out the details!
The game of the film of the book: The Golden Compass
Credit: SEGA, Gamesradar, IGN
As you may or may not know, Phillip Pullman's award-winning children's novel "The Golden Compass" (or as we know it in the UK, "Northern Lights") is being turned into a movie this Christmas. As with any children's film, a video game tie-in is inevitable, and yesterday we received confirmation that production was under way, with SEGA releasing an official statement regarding the title, which will be brought to the Wii, DS, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP and PC. So…every console under the sun, then?
The first bit of concept art has been released, which I have ever so kindly provided for you below.
SEGA's statement details how the game will mirror the film, whilst also including sections and areas that aren't seen in either the movie or book, making the game a must-have for fans of the His Dark Materials trilogy. Here is what SEGA had to say:
Players can assume the role of Lyra, a young girl, along with her daemon Pantalaimon (Pan), as she travels through the frozen wastes of the North collecting special items in order to explore, evade and deceive her way through confrontations to rescue a friend kidnapped by a mysterious organisation known as The Gobblers. Lyra can also use her daemon and collaborate with in-game characters to journey through an epic quest to save not only her world, but ours as well.
Gamers can also take on the character of Iorek Byrnison, a great armoured polar bear who joins the quest. Iorek battles to protect Lyra during their journey using a riding mechanic and special attacks to fend off enemies. Players will also be able to unlock secrets and mini-games using a mysterious truth-telling golden compass device called an alethiometer. The Golden Compass has 13 vast locations to explore including all-new, breath-taking environments not seen in the books or the film, on this massive journey of collaboration, exploration, and the eternal struggle between good and evil.
No hard facts as to how the game will make use of the Wii-mote, although I can forgive that, as this was a general announcement about the game across all platforms. What we do know is that this will be like your average movie tie-in, in that it'll be a third-person adventure game. The emphasis on the word "collaboration" intrigues me, suggesting that there could be RPG elements, requiring the player to talk to NPCs to gather information.
I'm still surprised at the approach that is being taken towards the film, in that it is being developed in the same vein as the Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter, aiming it at kids. I read the books a couple of years ago, and whilst I really enjoyed them, they deal with some pretty adult themes…including both male AND female circumcision *shudders*. I'm sure New Line Cinema will be editing those parts out of the screenplay, but still, the books explore the theme of evil in a much darker way than Harry Potter ever did. I just hope the game isn't too light-hearted, as that would detract from the issues presented in the novel.
The game will be released just prior to the film hitting cinemas on December 7th, meaning that we should expect it towards the end of November.
Disaster: Day of Crisis MULTIMEDIA FRENZY!
Credit: CVG, Gametrailers, Gamevideos
Yes, the moment you have all been waiting for…it's the very first in-game screenshot of Monolith's Disaster: Day of Crisis!
Alright, admittedly that doesn't exactly blow you away. But don't go away just yet, as I have a movie for you that sheds light on some in-game sequences. However, before we get to that, let's take a moment to analyse that screenshot, shall we?
First up, a quick recap. For those that haven't been following D:DoC's progress, the game was announced back at E3 2006, and a couple of months later, the first solid details came out about the plot of the game. You play as Ray, former member of an elite rescue task force, in an attempt to survive the various natural disasters that have plagued civilisation as of late. However, a rogue terrorist gang are using this opportunity to steal a nuclear warhead, and it is down to you to stop them. Great…terrorists AND natural disasters? It couldn't get any worse!
So, regarding the screenshot, where do we begin? Well, there's the matter of the yellow arrow in the middle of the screen. Could this be an indication of Resident Evil 4 style moments of gameplay, where you input various commands which are reflected on-screen with pre-rendered motions? In Resi Evil 4's case, this came as part of interactive cutscenes, but the screenshot depicted above is most definitely in-game. For that moment in the game, it looks like that kind of gameplay would fit. That walkway looks pretty rickety, doesn't it? I'd imagine that it's about to give way underneath Ray, so you have to flick the Wii-mote to the right in order to jump over to the platform you can just about see to the right of the pic. It will be interesting to see how this element of gameplay comes into play elsewhere in the game, and if it gets more involving than a simple flick of the wrist to the right.
Also of interest is the timer towards the top of the screen, suggesting you are always competing against the clock, presumably before the natural disaster overwhelms you, or perhaps it is a precautionary timer, warning you as to when the next disaster is to hit.
OK, I think I've squeezed all the juicy information out of that screenshot, so let's move onto the movie shall we? The first 10 seconds or so display the concept art we've seen a gazillion times before, but then it crosses over into some CGI before moving onto a nice bit of in-game footage. Enjoy!
The footage is pretty short and grainy, so it's hard to get everything out of it, but confirmed by the video are driving sections, and rumour has it that in one section of the game, you have to hastily drive down the side of a volcano, trying to escape from a Pyroclastic Cloud. Which sounds like a lot of fun in my book!
Elsewhere in the video, we see Ray running away from said volcano, dodging the falling volcanic rocks. It certainly looks like the game will be filled with tense moments like this. Hopefully we'll see a playable version up and running in May at E3 (or whatever it's called this year).
13 Wii titles announced by Data Design Interactive
Credit: IGN, Gamespot
UK-based developer Data Design Interactive yesterday announced that it will be porting over a dozen titles to the Wii from its collection of European PC titles. Listed below are all 13 titles scheduled to be available on the console by the end of the year.
Action Girlz Racing
Hamster Heroes
Monster Trux Extreme: Offroad Edition
Anubis II
NinjaBread Man
Myth Makers: Trixie in Toyland
Mini Desktop Racing
Billy the Wizard
London Taxi: Rush Hour
Myth Makers: Orbs of Doom
Myth Makers Super Kart GP
Earache Extreme Metal Racing
Elviz: Rock N Roll Adventures
OK, well I have never heard of any of those franchises I'm afraid, so I can't comment on how good these could be. Most of the titles are ‘family-friendly,' but Earache Extreme Metal Racing is M-rated, so they are catering to a few different audiences. And London Taxi: Rush Hour sounds quite fun, most probably a lot like Crazy Taxi, albeit set in England's capital. And for the record, "NinjaBread Man" is an awesome name. Far too early to judge what these will be like, but we'll see…
An entire city in the palm of your hand
Credit: CVG, Gamesradar, NGamer
Back in August of last year, it was announced that SimCity would be coming to the DS. 7 months later, we finally have the very first screenshot for you. The screenshot itself doesn't really tell us much, apart from giving us an idea of the style of the game, but publisher EA has revealed a few details on how the game will make use of the special abilities the DS has to offer.
One way the DS' touch screen will be effectively put to use is in signing your signature with the stylus on various important documents and proclamations. However, more intriguingly, the natural hazards that are a series staple for SimCity return, and fires can be put out by blowing into the microphone! But the fun doesn't stop there. Godzilla is a featured hazard in the game, and you can use the stylus to fire missiles at him. The UFO makes its return, and a mini-game is used for that particular hazard, as you are required to pull people out of the way of its tractor beam. That is a genius move by EA, and shows that they are really coming to grips with the DS hardware. SimCity is a natural fit for the DS, so it's good to know that EA are doing everything they can to make it a worthwhile experience.
It has also been confirmed by the publisher that the game will make use of the DS' wireless capabilities, offering "wireless data exchange." Whether this entails the use of the WiFi service or not isn't clear just yet. In SimCity 3000 (the game on which this DS version is based on) you could connect up with fictional towns in the game in order to share water supplies and electricity, so perhaps in WiFi you could help out a fellow player, sharing resources to save money. Or, alternatively, you could partially create a city and allow another player to sort out a particular problem, much like the Scenario Mode in SimCity 3000. That could be pretty fun.
The only official screenshot is printed below, but with a worldwide launch pencilled in for Summer 2007, I'd expect to see a lot more from this very soon.
Great Nintendo Gaming Moments #2
Great Nintendo Gaming Moments is back, and I've got one helluva moment for you this week. Forget the naysayers, ignore the critics…this moment DEFINED the 64bit era! Link emerging onto Hyrule Field for the first time? Nope. Mario in glorious 3D? Guess again. Sniping from that tower in Goldeneye? You're way off the mark. This Great Nintendo Gaming Moment belongs to Donkey Kong 64; more specifically the introductory scene the moment you switch the game on…the DK Rap!
Just in case you missed out on this glorious moment, here it is thanks to the wonder that is Youtube.
Now then, I know you all want to sing along, so just for you, here are the lyrics, transcribed in full!
Here, here, here we go,
So they're finally here performing for you,
If you know the words you can join in too,
Put your hands together if you want to clap,
As we take you through this monkey rap,
HUH!!
DK, Donkey Kong!!
He's the leader of the bunch, you know him well,
He's finally back, to kick some tail,
His coconut gun can fire in spurts,
If he shoots ya, it's gonna hurt,
He's bigger, faster and stronger too,
He's the first member of the DK crew!
HUH!!
DK, Donkey Kong!!
DK, Donkey Kong is here!!
This Kong's got style, so listen up dudes,
She can shrink in size to suit her mood,
She's quick and nimble when she needs to be,
She can flout through the air and climb up trees,
If you choose her, you'll not choose wrong,
With a skip and a hop, she's one cool Kong!
HUH!!
DK, Donkey Kong!!
He has no style, he has no grace,
This Kong has a funny face,
He can handstand when he needs to,
And stretch his arms out just for you,
Inflate himself just like a balloon,
This crazy Kong just digs this tune!
HUH!!
DK, Donkey Kong!!
DK, Donkey Kong is here!!
He's back again and about time too,
And this time he's in the mood,
He can fly real high with his jetpack on,
With his pistols out he's one tough Kong,
He'll make you smile when he plays his tune,
But Kremlings beware cos he's after you!
HUH!!
DK, Donkey Kong!!
HUH!!
Finally he's here, he's here for you,
It's the last member of the DK crew,
This Kong's so strong, it isn't funny,
He'll make a Kremling cry out for mummy,
He can pick up a boulder with relative ease,
Makes crushing rocks seem such a breeze,
He may move slow, he can't jump high,
But this Kong's is one hell of a guy!
In all seriousness though, a lot of people are way too harsh on it. I've honestly heard stories of people unwrapping the game, slotting it into their N64s and promptly taking it back to the games stores the instant the DK rap came on screen! I just thought the whole thing was funny. It's unashamedly camp and host to some of the worst lyrics ever seen, and yet (to some, at least) it has a distinct charm and appeal about it.
The rap later showed up in Super Smash Bros Melee, although the word "hell" was changed to "heck." Ironically, DK64 received an ‘E for Everyone' rating, whilst SSBM received a ‘T for Teen' rating, despite the censorship. Fingers crossed the rap makes it into Super Smash Bros Brawl!
And let me clarify that in future, Great Nintendo Gaming Moments will be taken more seriously, but I just HAD to get this in somewhere. C'mon, tell me you didn't give just a hint of a smile at "This Kong has a funny face!" Oh you didn't? You nearly choked on your food? Oh…
Pimping in high places
Andrew Mellick's The SIXAXIS gives you all the news on the announcement that PAL PS3s will only have limited backwards compatibility with PS2 games. To steal a quote from Larry Csonka (bold of me, I know!) "Sony: We Hate Money!" Still, any sensible person would just buy a Wii…
Find out how the Wii is doing around the world and much more in the latest edition of The Select and Start News Report by Vincent Chiucchi.
Cory Moore presents another Nintendo game for you in this week's Fun Factor, as he takes a look at what made Super Smash Bros so great.
The Oscars have come and gone, and it is at this time that we celebrate all the good things Hollywood has given us. So why do they have to turn around and slap us in the face with god-awful movie spin-offs of our favourite games? However, in this case, Damian Sarcuni explores the darker side of Hollywood, looking at games that were scheduled to become films, but then mysteriously fell off the radar in this week's Angry Gaming. Just don't mention Uwe Boll, OK?
Steve McHugh presents Flashback, looking at how comic books have fared in their video game adaptations. Beware the Superman 64 reference!
Also, a special bit of pimpage for the brand new 411mania Myspace page that opened up this past week! Check out www.myspace.com/411mania and add us as a friend! And if you're female, why not send us some naked pics? No? I thought that was what Myspace was for…
