Nintendophiles 03.30.07
Posted by Theo Fraser on 03.30.2007
Plenty of Nintendo goodness this week, as we delve into the full version of the Wii Opera browser, take a look at the new details released on Super Paper Mario, MySims and Spiderman 3, and revisit the original Pilotwings in the hope of someday playing it on the VC. Check out this bumper edition of Nintendophiles for all the info!
Well I'm in a bad mood today as my computer got infected with a load of trojans, so I've had a really fun day watching a variety of trojan removal programs sweep my computer. As such, I've been a bit delayed in writing this week's Nintendophiles, hence the reason it is up later than usual. For that, I apologise to you all. *Sigh* Life was easier in the Stone Age, wasn't it? Although, they didn't have the Wii, and quite frankly a life without a Wii is a life not worth living. So I'll quit my moaning.
Full Opera Wii browser set to launch next month
Credit: CVG
The free trial of the Opera internet browser for the Wii has been up and running for a couple of months now, but in April, the full version is set to launch, and with it comes a host of new features.
Currently, the free trial allows full, unrestricted access to the internet, but many of Opera's special features have been disabled. April's updated version will include the following:
Improved zoom and scrolling functions
Improved font for zoomed text (sharper and crisper than before)
Faster load times and easier, quicker access to Favourites
Auto-hide toolbar
Display cursors from multiple Wii remotes (although only Player 1 can actually ‘click' links)
Search button on the toolbar
Preset shortcut keys, such as a "www" button and ".com" icons
These improvements have all been based on user-feedback from the free trial, so it's great that Nintendo have listened to our concerns. Still no word on Flash or Java support being introduced, but bear in mind that this is just "v.1" of the full program. I'm sure by the year's end there will be a few more updates to help ensure that Wii browsing is as slick and easy-to-use as possible.
The full browser is set to be released to Wii owners in April, and like the trial version will be free at first. As of June, however, the browser will only be available at a cost of 500 Wii points in the Wii Shop.
More Super Paper Mario goodness
Over on the official Nintendo of Japan website currently are a host of new Super Paper Mario videos for your viewing pleasure. Check out video #3 for the AWESOME-IST power-up animation in history. Seriously, it's THAT good. It's arousingly good. From the looks of things, they're adding a new video each week, so you might consider bookmarking the page and regularly checking back to find out what else is in store for you in SPM. I am ultra-excited about this game. This has over-taken No More Heroes on my Most Wanted list. Both CVG and NGamer magazine have described it as "one of the best games they've ever played." Fair enough, you'll hear that term used frequently in the gaming press, but it's usually in hindsight, referring to games such as Ocarina of Time or Goldeneye or what have you. But this was after playing a preview version! Nintendo have clearly struck gold with the whole 2D-into-3D transition stuff, and the gaming media are slowly picking up on this fact.
Super Paper Mario sees its North American release in just under two weeks. I assume you're already saving up for it, yes?
There ain't no party like a Square Enix party!
Credit: IGN
Yes, it's your old buddy Square Enix, once again cropping up here in the hallowed halls of Nintendophiles. On this occasion, it's merely to promote the developer's media event in Japan, which is coming up shortly (May 12th and 13th, to be exact). Square Enix have announced the line-up of games scheduled to be on show, and in what capacity.
Playable:
Dragon Quest Monster Joker (DS, playable)
Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wing (DS, playable)
Final Fantasy Tactics (PSP, playable)
Itadaki Street DS (DS, playable)
Dragon Quest Swords (Wii, playable)
It's a Wonderful World (DS, playable)
Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII (PSP, playable)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (DS, playable)
Final Fantasy XI (PS2, X360, Windows, playable)
Video format:
Final Fantasy (PSP, video)
Final Fantasy II (PSP, video)
Dragon Quest Monster Battle Road (Arcade, video)
Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete (Blu-Ray, video)
Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Mobile, video)
Veeeeery interesting, I think you will agree. Just the one Wii title, but quite a few DS games in playable format. The DS version of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles is particularly intriguing, as we've seen relatively nothing of it. Also in show in playable format is the highly anticipated (in Japan, at least) Itadaki Street DS, which for those who don't know is basically like a game of Monopoly. This version is particularly special as it features characters from the Dragon Quest series as well as the Mario universe! From Dragon Quest, we'll see Slime, Jessica, Dragonlord, Pudding, Bianca, Angelo, and Yangus. I'm not terribly familiar with Dragon Quest, so I can't say if that's a good line-up or not, but with a character named Pudding, you really can't go wrong. The Mario characters include Mario himself, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Princess Daisy and Waluigi. That's an all-star cast in my opinion.
Personally, I'm eager to find out everyone's reaction to Dragon Quest Swords for the Wii. The actual swordplay and magic casting has looked pretty fun in previous demonstrations and gameplay vids, but I always got the impression it all looked a bit too linear. We'll find out one way or another come May 12th.
MySims to give unprecedented customisation
Credit: Gametrailers
MySims, the upcoming cutesy Wii Sims game, just got even bigger. With a game like The Sims, you expect to have a fair amount of customisable features, but with MySims, the developers have gone absolutely crazy with its options for you to tinker with. The game's GameTrailers page contains some great videos which outline all the different things you can customise in the game, and is well worth a look. For your convenience, I've provided one of the videos below, which shows us just how in-depth the customisation is for furniture.
Incredible! You could literally make your own piece of furniture, and with it being so detailed and easy to use, it shouldn't be too hard to recreate your own home, should you wish to. Also worth a look is the video demonstrating the building customisation, which is equally in-depth. I can see myself spending DAYS putting the finishing touches to my village, sprucing up a house here and there with a new paintjob or swimming pool extension.
At first, I'll admit that I wasn't a fan of the MySims art style. To me, it seemed like it was being "dumbed down" for the Wii, adding to the argument about Nintendo consoles being kiddie-riffic. However, after watching the footage of the MySims characters interacting with each other, I'm in love with it. Yes, it may be too cute for some, but just like cel-shaded Link in Wind Waker, they have character! The art style has allowed EA to give them some strong animations and expressions, and helps move away from the typical Sims approach, which relies on ‘thought bubbles'.
Anyway, check out the videos for a look at what MySims has to offer in the way of customisation. It could probably do with being a bit more intuitive, as you can see the player struggling slightly with the setup, having to scroll through each design instead of being able to pick it out of a list/display bar. Nevertheless, it does look good, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the MySims characters out and about, interacting with their neighbours in various ways.
Web-slinging with the Wii-mote!
Credit: CVG, GameInvasion
Spider Man 3, due out on every platform in May, looks like it could be something rather special on the Wii.
The control method is what gets me particularly excited, as it seems incredibly intuitive and should be (gasp!) actually quite fun! Each of Spidey's arms are controlled individually, with the Nunchuk being utilised for his left arm, and the Wii-mote acting as his right arm. To swing through the streets of New York, simply flick the controller forward whilst pressing the requisite button, and Spiderman will latch onto the nearest building. To carry on moving forward, just alternate the controllers in a fluid motion. It sounds like perfect Spiderman gameplay in my book, and if it retains the free-roaming nature of Spiderman 2 on the Gamecube, we're onto a sure-fire winner.
Breaking News: Sonic and Mario team up for the first time in history!
Just as I was about to send this off for approval, I saw the report on the brand new Mario & Sonic Game, "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games." Check out Ramon Aranda's news item, which covers all the news. This is history in the making, folks, and is a great idea. Hopefully we get some new info and official screenshots very soon. Keep your eye on this one!
Viable Candidates for the Virtual Console
Heatseeker for the Wii is just about to go on sale in the UK, and at present is receiving some fairly good reviews, in the region of 80%. The game genuinely looks good fun to play, and I don't want to take anything away from it, but come on…we all want Pilotwings! Alas, there has been no word as of yet on an update of the popular franchise, but in the absence of a proper Wii sequel, I see no reason why we should be denied the pleasure of playing Pilotwings on the Virtual Console. Hell, I'm not picky; either version will do! The N64 version was rumoured to be coming to the VC, but there hasn't been any word on that for quite some time. For the purposes of this column, however, I'd like to look at the SNES original, funnily enough entitled "Pilotwings."
To those of you who aren't familiar with Pilotwings, it's basically a flight simulator game…albeit one with a twist. Unlike your usual flight simulator titles, this isn't just your run-of-the-mill aeroplane sim. You train for four aerial-based missions; landing a light plane, a rocket belt/jet pack mission, hang gliding, and skydiving. You start out as a rookie, and aim to complete these training missions and eventually earn yourself the prestigious Pilotwings badge.
The game works on a points-based system, so you'll gain points for how accurately you can land the bi-plane on the runway, and where you manage to land the other vehicles in the target area. Your performance is then judged by your instructor. Do well enough, and you'll progress to the next mission. Each of the four modes feel different from each other, as they work on different mechanics (for example, you'll need to look out for thermal currents in the Hang gliding to make sure you keep your altitude right, whereas in the Skydiving event, you'll have to open your parachute at the precise correct moment, else risk plummeting to your doom), and there's a ton of replay value, as you'll constantly want to better yourself.
However, the thing that struck me the most about Pilotwings is the diversity in the final mission; the spectacularly awesome Helicopter missions. The game lulls you into a sense of security with the 4 training missions, where you battle yourself, only worrying about making the wrong move or messing up. It's light-hearted, good-natured fun, and you never really feel pressured. Progress to the Helicopter mission, however, and it's a completely different story.
You're on a rescue mission to retrieve your instructors, who are waiting for you to save them after a government agent managed to infiltrate the enemy base and free them. Starting out on an ocean liner, you must fly over enemy territory, avoiding gunfire, and shoot down the bases before landing the helicopter when all is safe to bring home the agent and your instructors. That part about avoiding gunfire? Not so easy. ONE hit to your vehicle brings you crashing to the ground, and when three bases are firing at you relentlessly, things can get pretty hectic. Trust me when I say only the very hardcore will see this game to its climax, despite there technically being only 10 stages. The helicopter mission just comes as such a surprise, with totally different gameplay from what is offered elsewhere in the game. After the first helicopter mission, it's back to the training room, where you'll train in the same four areas, though this time there will be added weather effects/conditions and a higher score will be needed to progress. And then you have another rock-hard helicopter mission!
By today's standards, sure, it looks like a pile of shag, but if you're a Wii owner, you already know it's not all about the graphics; it's about the gameplay, baby! Having said that, in its day, Pilotwings was heralded for its use of the Mode 7 graphics, which enabled the rotation and 3D scaling effects necessary to create the sense of distance between the player's current location and the ground beneath them.
With Pilotwings having such a large fanbase, and the fact that it's a Nintendo-owned property, it's almost inevitable that it will turn up on the Virtual Console at some point. I'd like to see it available sooner rather than later, as it could offer the catalogue of VC games a much needed boost of diversity. After all, diversity is Pilotwings' key to success.
Over to you!
With that wrapped up, I'd like to turn to you, my faithful readers. I always have great fun writing Viable Candidates for the Virtual Console, as Nintendo has such a magnificent back catalogue of games, and I love exploring their past in the hope that we'll be able to play these games again in the future. So far, the entries have just been my personal opinions; a wishlist of games I'd like to play on the Virtual Console. But what about you? What games would YOU like to see on the Virtual Console? Hopefully soon, I can start introducing some Reader Candidates to this section, with your picks for games you'd like to see immortalised into the Virtual Console. So please, feel free to email me your picks. You don't have to write your reasons for picking the game; you can simply email me the game title, and I'll select the good ones for me to analyse in future editions of Nintendophiles. As always, my email address can be found at the bottom of the page.
The 411 Games Crew
There are many age-old questions that plague society for years, decades, even millennia. What is the meaning of life? Is there a God? What are the lyrics to the Super Mario Bros. theme tune? Shawn Struck ansers one of those questions in this week's Code Games News Report. You'd be a fool to miss out!
Vincent Chiucchi is very excited at the prospect of a Dragonball Z MMO. Check out the details plus the rest of this week's news in the latest Select and Start News Report.
The PS3 had an unprecedented launch weekend in the UK last week, so catch up on the fallout as Andrew Mellick takes you through the sales figures and more in this week's edition of The SIXAXIS. Yeah, that's right, no sarcy comment from me this time. I'm still smarting over the PS3 launch actually being successful. You may have won this round, Mellick, but just you wait!!!
Damian Sarcuni takes the hate to cheap gaming, with players taking advantage of various imbalances and inadequacies in the gaming world. Check out the latest Angry Gaming for your weekly dose of the Hate Master.
The Fun Factor explores the awesomeness that is Lego Star Wars! Find out why Cory Moore thinks so highly of the game in his latest column.
And don't forget to check out our respective Myspace pages, at www.myspace.com/411mania, and www.myspace.com/411games! We have actual living, breathing PORNSTARS (~!) on our Top 18. By default, that makes us cool. And if you're friends with us? Hey, you can be cool too.
