Nintendophiles 10.04.07
Posted by Theo Fraser on 10.04.2007
Metroid Dread rumors put to rest once and for all, video goodness from No More Heroes and Final Fantasy IV, confirmed events in Mario & Sonic at the Olympics, how to a get an anti-slip silicon jacket for your Wii Remote for FREE, and the latest and greatest screens from Super Mario Galaxy!
Well, Uni life is treating me well, save for the black eye I sustained a couple of days ago. Oh, it's not as cool as it sounds. Whilst I'd LOVE to say I got into a fight with a big, angry jock, it was actually just an accident during a tense round of Three-legged Racing (drama students like myself evidently have the mental age of a 6 year old). One elbow to the face later, and my eye has swollen up like a juicy plum. But hey, I've started Jiu-Jitsu training, so next time it happens...KA-POW, CHOP, THRUST!!!
Before I begin, I'd just like to extend a huge thanks to Mike Minotti (aka 411 Games' resident News Report Whore) for filling in for me last week. Much appreciated, buddy!
Metroid Dread rumors addressed
Credit: MTV
Well here we have it. After a small mention of "Metroid Dread" (the rumored 2D DS Metroid title) was included in the recent Metroid Prime 3: Corruption on Wii, it seemed like the title was confirmed. Nintendo were coy about the matter and refused to provide a satisfactory response. Now, however, Retro have given us a definitive answer, and unfortunately for Metroid fans, it's not good news.
Taken from the MTV interview with Retro representative Mark Pacini:
MTV: What's the story behind the apparent reference in "Metroid Prime 3″ to "Metroid Dread," the rumored but never-confirmed 2D game some fans hope is being made at Nintendo?
Pacini: "It's not what you think it means… it as something that was overlooked and wasn't in any way indicating anything about the handheld game. We know no information about the handheld games.
MTV: Are you suggesting that you got in trouble or something?
Pacini: Not at all. We actually had a fictional element of something else in the game that by a large coincidence could be read that we were giving a hint about "Metroid Dread" which was not the case. It's a complete and utter coincidence.
MTV: OK.
Pacini: That's all I can say on it.
So that sucks then! You've gotta admit though, it's a very odd situation. Retro were certainly aware of all the Metroid Dread rumors/hype, so they must have known that a reference to "Project Dread" would spark this kind of controversy. Something tells me we're not quite getting the full story here. Whether we ever will or not remains to be seen, but at least it puts to rest rumors that we'll be seeing Metroid Dread any time soon.
Cutscene clip from No More Heroes
If you've been keeping up with the weekly updates on the official No more Heroes website, you'll likely already have seen this, but for those that missed out, you need to check this out. It pretty much sums up the style and humor of the game, and...well, it made me laugh! Only a very short clip, but it serves as a good teaser for the final game. And it looks good too!
Travis, don't question it! Just rub the oil on her, dammit! Geez, has that guy NEVER gotten laid before?
Wii Remote gets a smart new jacket
Credit: Next-gen
Still breaking windows and giving your siblings black eyes thanks to overzealous Wii remote gestures? You're in luck, as Nintendo have just unveiled the Wii Remote Jacket to counter all those slippery mishaps.
The protective silicon covering with ship with all future Wii hardware later this month, but in even better news for current Wii owners, you can simply apply for a free Jacket by going to either wii.com or Nintendo.com. Bonus points to Nintendo there, as it would have been awfully easy to just sell it in high street stores as an optional accessory, but no, the good people of NOA are giving away to you for free! It's even more impressive in light of the news that Nintendo are spending around 20 billion Yen (that's about $18 million, folks!) on the project. To a massive corporation such as Nintendo, that's hardly a dent in their wallet, but it goes to show just how dedicated the company is in making sure all their customers are comfortable and, most importantly, satisfied. Great to see Nintendo actively addressing the criticisms levied against them.
Full list of events for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Credit: IGN
Two weeks ago, a couple of new shots for Mario & Sonic and the Olympics were released, showing some of the new activities/events that you'll be participating in once the game ships. This week, SEGA disclosed the entire list, bringing the total event number to 18, which is certainly nothing to scoff at. Let's take a look at what's on offer:
Archery
Aquatics- 100m Freestyle
Aquatics 4x100m Freestyle
Fencing
Gymnastics- Trampoline
Gymnastics- Vault
Rowing- Single Sculls
Shooting- Skeet
Table Tennis- Singles
Track- 110m and 400m Hurdles
Track- 4x100m Relay
Track- 100m and 400m
Field- Hammer Throw
Field- High Jump
Field- Javelin Throw
Field- Long Jump
Field- Pole Vault
Field- Triple Jump
That's a pretty fine list right there. No notable exceptions, save for maybe Weightlifting, but it's a forgivable offense. We still don't have confirmation of how all of these events will play, but there's the potential for them to be really fun. Javelin Throw could be excellent using the Wii remote, although I can already foresee plenty of torn/strained triceps and the like. Aquatics could also work very well simply by alternating strokes with the Nunchuk and remote, which would represent your left and right arm, respectively. Other events such as High Jump are a little more difficult to predict, but there's no law written in stone that says each event has to be performed realistically with Wii remote gestures.
Moving away from the events, we now have a final number of participants confirmed for the game, which stands at 16; 8 from the Mushroom Kingdom, and 8 from the world of Sonic. Much like other Mario sports titles, characters will be divided into weight/class categories, and in Mario and Sonic at the Olympics, there will be the typical 4 groups; All-rounder (Mario & Amy), Technical (Peach & Tails), Power (Bowser and Knuckles) and Speed (Yoshi & Sonic...duh!).
When the game was first announced, people jumped at the idea of FINALLY being able to settle the age old score; who's better, Mario or Sonic? Of course, the Olympic Games setting was scorned at first, but it now appears as if the game will at least be worthwhile of the video game icons starring in it. Aside from the obvious single and multiplayer modes, there will be a Circuit Mode on offer, which allows you to either follow a pre-determined series of events, or gives you the option of creating your own circuit, so you can skip all the events that bore you. There will also be numerous mini-games and some cool little bonuses, such as trivia and quizzes to provide insight into the history of the Olympics. With so many events on offer, the opportunity to pit Mario against his former nemesis Sonic, and the neat extras included in the game, Mario & Sonic at the Olympics is shaping up to offer the complete package.
Making up for the TGS no-show
The Tokyo Games Show has come and gone, and many gamers were disheartened mere weeks before the event to find out that Nintendo were pulling out. No playable Smash Bros. demo, no new Mario Galaxy details, no nothing.
But perhaps it was all part of an elaborate plan, as earlier this week, Nintendo revealed that they will be staging their very own retailer event next Wednesday, October 10th, displaying their holiday lineup to the public. The event will cater to both Wii and DS fans, and preliminary reports state that the Big Three of this Winter will be included: Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Battalion Wars 2. OH HELLZ YEAH!!!
It's a brilliant chance for players to test out these games before they go on sale, and vital for something like Battalion Wars 2, which would have been easily overshadowed by the big boys had it been displayed at TGS. Now, however, it has a chance to truly shine.
Mario Galaxy being playable is pretty self explanatory, and I expect the real hype for the game to begin on October 11th, once people have gone hands-on with the final version.
Seeing as the event is centred around Nintendo's Fall lineup, I wouldn't expect to see any major surprises, but you never know! As always, you'll be the first to know right here at 411 Games.
Whilst we're on the subject of Mario Galaxy...
I'd love to be able to give you some kind of in-depth update on Super Mario Galaxy, but unfortunately nothing new in that regard has been released. However, a handful of absolutely stunning shots have made their way onto the internet, and they're so gorgeous I just had to post them here for you.
Come on, take your jaw off the floor, mop that drool up. It looks fantastic, I'm sure you'll agree, and it's great to see some familiar faces again, such as Dry Bones and the Penguins from Super Mario 64. I wonder if that massive Penguin will return for another Slope/Slide race, which was definitely a highlight of Mario's N64 outing. By heading over to the newly opened official Japanese Mario galaxy site, you'll find some great looking in-game videos, including one showing off a similar race, with Mario on the back of what appears to be an alien stingray. As such, the ‘race gameplay' is evidently part of the game, so who knows, maybe an interstellar Penguin-mounted jaunt between galaxies is on the cards. *Crosses fingers*
With the game in theory being playable next Wednesday, we should start to see extensive previews and the like pretty soon.
Final Fantasy IV: Now with added voice acting and breast enlargement
I don't want to overload you with media here today, but again, this was too much to pass up. This is the brand new trailer for Final Fantasy IV on the DS, complete with voice acting! FFIV has one of the better stories in the series' acclaimed lineage, so it's only fitting that it be told to the best of the development team's abilities. The voice acting for the Japanese version has been cast, and whilst you're unlikely to have heard of names such as Shizuka Hidoshima, Yuko Kaida, Koichi Yamadera and Takeshi Kaga, the cast list is impressive from a Japanese stance, featuring voice artists from Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Galaxy Angel, Hajime no Ippo and more. Let's just hope the English version carries the same calibre of talent.
So yes, it's Japanese, but hey, don't complain! Oh, and don't you just dig the music? This is going to be special, no doubt. Enjoy the video, and then pray that the English translation doesn't take too long.
And I'll say what I know you're all thinking. Yes, Rosa does look hot in 3D. Don't be ashamed, people, embrace that polygonal cleavage.
The 411 Games Crew
The SIXAXIS is brought to you by Mark Salmela, and this week includes the latest on MGS4, Final Fantasy XIII, Tekken 6 and a host of other premium titles. Looks like you won't want to miss this one.
Are you a fan of Jack Thompson? Didn't think so. Neither is Vincent Chiucchi. Check out the Select and Start News Report for an update on Thompson possibly losing his license, as well as all the rest of the week's big multi-format news.
See what Vincent Chiucchi thought of the Digital Life Expo in a special feature column detailing the event.
As a little heads up, next week's edition will be the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY column for Nintendophiles, so it'll be another jam-packed instalment. Don't miss it!
