Nintendophiles 04.26.07
Posted by Theo Fraser on 04.26.2007
Donkey Kong Opens Warfare on the Obscure Streets of Rage! Yep, that was officially 411’s worst teaser ever. Just read it. Please?
Aaaaaand I'm back! I know, I know, two WHOLE weeks without an update from me must have been hell for you, but the Nintendophiles drought ends here. In actual fact, last week seemed pretty un-newsworthy on the Nintendo front, so it's probably for the best that I didn't get a column to you, as it would no doubt have been pretty sparse on the info. Right now, I am spending the week in a caravan near the beach. It's a horrible beach (about 85% quicksand), and the caravan site is full of nasty Welsh chavs. Nothing against the Welsh, of course, but these guys are truly vile. Still, I can't really pass judgement, as I am effectively trailer park trash at this point in time. Oh yeah, baby, I'm living the high life!
Well blast my bongos, it's Donkey Kong on the Wii!
Credit: Famitsu
Originally announced as one of the final Gamecube games at last year's E3 event, Donkey Kong: Bongo Blast will now be headed to the Wii, as the Gamecube version has officially been cancelled.
Screens of the Gamecube version in action
Bongo Blast, as would be suggested by the title, was scheduled to be compatible with the Bongo Gamecube controllers, previously utilised in the Donkey Konga games and Donkey Kong: Jungle Beats. However, with the transition to the Wii platform, it appears that the Bongo control scheme has been dropped in favour of the Wii-mote and Nunchuk.
For those not familiar with the title, Bongo Blast is a racing game, featuring Donkey Kong and his merry band of ape-like friends and Kremlin foes (SCORE!!! Dixie Kong is in it!), who race around sixteen different tracks on (get ready for it...) rocket-propelled barrels. With the Bongo Controllers, players would have tapped the left bongo to turn left, and the right bongo to turn right, hitting both bongos at the same time to make your chosen character/vehicle jump. With Nintendo presumably saying goodbye to that form of control, you will now wield your Wii-motes and Nunchuks to guide Donkey Kong through the courses. Shaking the controllers will prompt DK to accelerate, and steering will be controlled by shaking an individual controller, i.e. the Nunchuk to turn left, and the Wii-mote to turn right. Raising both controllers will make the player jump. Evidently, it will be quite a workout, and with multiplayer for up to four people, expect a few aching wrists at the end of a session! Nintendo have yet to comment if the game will still work with the GC Bongo attachment, but to hazard a guess, I'd say no, as that would kinda defeat the object of the energetic Wii conversion.
According to Famitsu, Donkey Kong: Bongo Blast will go on sale in Japan on June 28th, with a US and European release date still to be determined. Expect an official Nintendo announcement in the near future.
Keep your Virtual Console off the Streets!
Credit: SEGA
Wii-owning SEGA fans were furiously typing on message boards and forums with one hand last week, with the news that Streets of Rage II is being brought to the Virtual Console this Spring.
Whilst the original is the classic that everyone talks about, I personally found this one far more enjoyable (yes, I admit it, I DID play SEGA games in my youth. Please don't tell Mr Miyamoto, OK?). Featuring Axel, Blaze, Skate and Max, it's your task to rescue Adam, the dude from the first game. Fun stuff indeed!
Aside from SoR2, expect another Toe Jam & Earl game, Toe Jam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron, as well as adventure game Shining in the Darkness and Kid Chameleon, a well-thought of platformer. Each of these titles should be hitting the Virtual Console in the next month or two, and should cost 800 Wii points, the standard for Mega Drive/Genesis titles.
Keep checking that Wii Shop Channel every Monday (or Friday if you're a PAL gamer) for the weekly updates to the VC catalogue.
Get ready for things to go a little bit Obscure
Credit: VGGEN.com
Adding to the ever-increasing list of adult titles being brought to the Wii, French developer Hydravision have announced that they are bringing us Obscure II, sequel to the 2005 survival-horror title...um...Obscure.
We might have to turn to our good friend Andrew Mellick to tell us about the original PS2 game (also available on Xbox), although I gather that it was pretty well received by both the media and the public, which certainly bodes well. According to the press release,
Obscure II (PC, PS2, Wii) takes place two years after the gruesome events of the first game. The survivors have gone on to college and try to return to their normal lives. After the discovery of a beautiful but strange plant on school campus, events take a turn for the worse. Soon, the college students have to battle for survival once again.
Players of Obscure II can choose their character and one AI controlled sidekick. In total there are six playable characters, each with their own unique abilities. These can be switched at various points in the game. Due to the game's unique co-op feature, friends can join at any time to team up and attempt surviving Obscure II together. There are many available weapons to keep the monsters that hunt you at bay. Light might be the players' biggest ally because you never know what's lurking in the shadows.
I like the sound of that, let me tell you! And judging by the first few screens of the game(displayed below), it looks pretty stunning. Sure, the character models aren't the most impressive I've seen, but those backdrops look gorgeous. The grimy surfaces and grubby colour scheme create a strong sense of atmosphere that hopefully translates to the gameplay.
Also of note, the game's soundtrack is being performed by the Boston Symphonic Orchestra and the Paris Opera Children's Choir, which basically means it should sound terrific. Or should that be ‘terrifying'? Children singing opera always gives me the creeps...
The game will be released on PC and PS2 in Q3, with a later Wii release in Q4, although quite how sensible this is, I'm not sure, considering that Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles will also be brought to shop shelves during the same period. Still, it's definitely something to look forward to
E For All...Not Very Many
The "E for All" expo on July 11-13th, being held in Santa Monica, California, is the ‘little brother' of the massive E3 event, the now-defunct gaming industry phenomenon. Only now, however, has it been confirmed just how ‘little' it really will be.
The complete list of developers/publishers attending the event has been revealed to the press, and the final number stands at...32. That still sound like a lot to you? Not when you take into account the fact that last year's E3 catered to over 400 companies. Whilst attendees will no doubt appreciate the extra breathing room, that's a pretty significant reduction. At present, around 3,000-4,000 invitations will be sent out for the event; again, a massive cutback from the 60,000 who traversed the floors last year. Evidently this will be a microcosm of what the E3 shows were like. Anyway, I'm sure you're eager to find out which companies are represented in the 32 on display at the event, so here's a quick look, in alphabetical order, of all the exhibitors.
1C Company
Activision
Akella
Atari
Atlus
Disney Interactive Studios
Capcom
Codemasters
Crave Entertainment
Eidos
Electronic Arts
Foundation 9 Entertainment (Independent Developer)
id Software (Independent Developer)
Konami
Logitech
LucasArts
Majesco
Microsoft
Midway
Namco Bandai Games
NCsoft
Nintendo
Nyko
Sega
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment
Square Enix
Take-Two Interactive
THQ
Ubisoft
Vivendi Games
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
All the big guns, as expected. It's a shame not to see a few more independent developers, as one of the big reasons for the downscaled event was to help give smaller developers more of the spotlight.
The main exhibition will take place in Santa Monica's Barker Hanger, with company-run demos in nearby hotels (much like THQ's recent hotel lobby WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008 demonstration). The Big Three will also hold their respective conferences at a separate location. Wait, does that mean...no booth babes? DAMMIT!!!
Worms were never this fun in the playground
Credit: ONM
I haven't played a Worms game since Worms: Armageddon on the PC, but I still have fond memories of Holy Hand Grenades, Homing Pigeons and Exploding Grannies. Worms: Open Warfare on the DS was a great addition to the handheld's ever-expanding roster of game types, but it wasn't a big departure from previous games in the series, and as such wasn't particularly a ‘must-buy' title. Now, however, with the announcement of a sequel, aptly named Worms: Open Warfare 2, we have a reason to be excited. And that reason? Online play!
Yes, the main addition this time round is the inclusion of online multiplayer gaming, including a permanent worldwide leader board so you can keep track of how you're faring against other Worms fanatics.
Customisation options have been ramped up, meaning that you now have the ability to edit almost every aspect of your team, from the skin colour of your Worms, to a variety of speech sets and gravestones to personalise your miniature heroes. Using the stylus, you can also create your own team flag to help distinguish yourself online. At this rate, this seems like Worms: Open Warfare 2 will feature one of the most in-depth online customisation abilities we've yet seen on the DS.
Online play won't be limited to simple deathmatches, however. No, developers Team 17 are really hoping to push the boat out, with alternative modes such as Fort Mode, where one team of worms can gain a structural advantage over the opposition by hiding inside a fort, popping out at opportune times to take clear shots at the enemy, whilst the other player looks to infiltrate the base. Another offering is the Race Mode, which challenges your worm's agility, requiring you to reach the end of an obstacle course before your opponent, making use of all the necessary utilities on the way. As a break from a frantic deathmatch, this sounds like the perfect respite.
Users without Wi-Fi access needn't fear, however, as the game will feature single-cart and multi-cart multiplayer for local play with your friends.
Worms: Open Warfare 2 is on track for a release this Summer. From the sound of it, this is possibly the strongest Worms game yet, in terms of ‘bang for your buck', and it's certainly high on my wish list.
I told you it looked good!
Below is the brand new official teaser trailer for Spiderman 3 on the Wii, and it looks pretty darn sweet, if you ask me!
Woo, check out that battle with ol' Sandman! And even though the goon playing the game made it look incredibly geeky, it should be pretty cool (and, perhaps more importantly, very intuitive) swinging through the streets of New York.
The game will launch next Friday, May 4th. All Spidey fans should be waiting with baited breath.
The 411 Games Crew
Due to me being a caravan-dwelling dirty gypsy at present, I've been pretty cut off from modern technology. Not having satellite TV meant that I missed WWE Raw for the first time in about 7 years. Which sucked. Although I did manage to download watch TNA Lockdown, so I got my weekly fix of wrestling. Anyway, before I start rambling, my point is that with extremely limited internet access, I unfortunately haven't been able to read my fellow 411 writer's columns, as I usually like to do. So mucho apologies for that! But check out everything the 411 Games Zone has to offer, including:
Sean McCabe's The Retrospective (a must for all Nintendophiles, focusing on the Starfox series).
And finally a brand new colmn debuts in the Games Zone as we welcome Owain J Brimfield, who presents a brilliant nostalgia trip for all of us with The Wonder Years!
My next edition of Nintendophiles, all things being equal, should come to you from the inside of an Emirates aeroplane, as I will be flying to Australia on my travels. Yes, that's right, folks! For the first time ever, it will be Nintendophiles: Down Under! Expect lots of pics of koala bears and copious use of quotes like "Throw another shrimp on the barbie!"
Also, keep an eye on the Wrestling section this coming Monday, as at the weekend I will be attending the first ever ‘King of Europe Cup' in Liverpool, which is a 16-man tournament featuring representatives from all the major worldwide wrestling companies (minus WWE, naturally), including stars such as Nigel McGuinness for ROH, Rhino for TNA, Davey Richards for PWG, Chris Hero (boo!) for CZW, Ryo Saito for Dragon Gate, and many others. I'll no doubt be bringing you a report from both nights of the tournament, so look out for that if you're interested. And if you're really interested, are UK based, and have nothing better to do this weekend, there are still plenty of tickets available on the door for the event, which I strongly recommend you consider, as it should be a tremendous showcase of worldwide indy talent. Visit www.koecup.com for all the info you might need!
Anyway, assuming I don't get Deep Vein Thrombosis on the 24hr flight, you'll be hearing from me this time next week!
