Nintendophiles 12.13.07
Posted by Theo Fraser on 12.13.2007
The censorship debate is once again sparked as Rockstar win an appeal for Manhunt 2, whilst No More Heroes gets censored in the UK. Plus, Burnout could be making its way back to a Nintendo console near you, a breakdown of the latest Wii firmware update, and another installment of Great Nintendo Gaming Moments!
Nintendo of Europe redesigned their website this week, and began offering PAL gamers the option to swap Nintendo Stars (gained through registering various Nintendo products and games) for Wii points. "Brilliant!" I thought, as I had never actually spent any of my Stars and had almost 10,000 saved up. But for the first few days after the redesign, the Wii Points swapping portion of the site wasn't working...and then when I finally managed to get on, Nintendo had decided that they had run out of the 1,000 point cards, the 500 point cards AND the 300 point cards, and had 50 of the 100 point cards remaining. Joy. So I figured they'd restock them in the morning, seeing as it was a "fresh concept" and all that, but since then, the cards have been completely "out of stock". The fuck? You mean to say Nintendo didn't expect an unprecedented amount of interest in the scheme? How hard is it to just pick out a random number of digits and upload them to the central database? Damn you, Nintendo, I had my heart all set on playing Super Metroid this afternoon...
Burnout comes home to Nintendo?
Credit: CVG
Nick Channon, producer for Burnout Paradise on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, recently sat down with CVG for an interview regarding the upcoming title. What interests us here in Nintendophiles is his comments about the future of the Burnout franchise. Let's take a look, shall we?
CVG: Building a whole new game from scratch was a big risk and certainly a departure from previous Burnout efforts. What have you learnt from that experience?
Channon: If you look at the current suite of platforms - PS3, 360, Wii and DS - you just can't make the same game across those platforms. That's a real change. In the past that's been possible. Fundamentally the games have to be very different.
On 360 and PS3 that games can be the same but on Wii and DS they have to be very different. We couldn't put Burnout Paradise onto those platforms as it stands right now.
That's changed massively. You have to have different teams working on those games to make the perfect game for those platforms. That's something as a company EA is taking very seriously. If you look at Playground and look at Boogie they're very different from platform to platform.
CVG: So it'd be fair to say you're looking at different avenues for Burnout on Wii and DS?
Channon: We'll see. All I'm saying is we couldn't put Burnout Paradise as it stands on PS3 and 360 onto those platforms.
"All I'm saying is..." So basically, Mr Channon, you're hiding something from us! Let the speculation begin! Now before everyone gets on their high horses, yes, Burnout has appeared on the DS already. Burnout Legends was released in late 2005, but it was mightily terrible, and wasn't actual developed by Criterion. No, the franchise was lent to Visual Impact, who should be lined up and shot for the abomination they deemed worthy to sit on store shelves. *Deep breath* Anyway, my point is Criterion have yet to make a DS Burnout game, so don't let that ‘other' title put you off; it could still work.
Alongside Gran Turismo, Burnout is considered to be one of the premier franchises for driving games, so a Wii version was always a likelihood. As we can see from the interview snippet above, Criterion have clearly given it some thought, and realise that a straight port simply wouldn't work. Likewise, I'd hope they wouldn't think they could get away with releasing a dumbed-down version for Wii gamers. If they absolutely HAVE to use Wii-mote controlled steering, at least wait until Mario Kart is out, and then you can use the steering wheel shell to make things better.
Once Burnout Paradise is shipped and out the door, we'll probably get a better idea of where Criterion are headed and if a Nintendo Burnout title is on the cards any time soon. As always, watch this space.
Give Santa a break this Christmas...let Nintendo do the work for him
Credit: Nintendo
The latest of Wii firmware updates has brought along with it a great little feature for the Wii Shop, enabling you to buy Virtual Console titles and send them to one of your friends on your Friend List as a present.
It couldn't be simpler; upon selecting a VC title, you'll be presented with two options "Buy" or "Gift", and obviously the latter will take you to your Friends List, where you can select the lucky recipient. Even better, the service will check your friend's system to make sure he/she doesn't already own said title, meaning you'll never receive unwanted doubles.
In the run up to Christmas, this is likely to be a very popular feature, although of course your friends will know exactly how much you've spent on them! Still, I'd hardly complain if I woke up to find Super Mario Bros. 3 attached to my message board on Christmas morning.
Aside from the holidays, this should also be a great way of spreading the word about some of the more lesser-known titles available through the Virtual Console catalogue. Basically, it's up to you guys to make sure Sin and Punishment is a household name by the end of next year!
Manhunt 2 could reach PAL territories after all...
Credit: CVG, Cubed3, IGN
After a lengthy battle, it appears that Rockstar could win the war. This past week, the Manhunt 2 developer won an appeal to force the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) to rethink its stance on the game's ban in the UK. The Video Appeals Committee sided with Rockstar after the developer contested the ban of Manhunt 2, which has now been rejected twice by the classification board. It's worth noting that the VAC only just ruled in favor of Rockstar, as the majority vote was four to three. The ‘Manhunt 2 saga' is evidently still a very touchy subject.
Of course, this does not mean that the BBFC will necessarily change their view on the game, so it could still see a third ban, but now that the game has been on sale in the US for over a month, the benefit of hindsight is on our side. Perhaps the BBFC will take into account how little harm has been done since its Stateside release.
Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick had the following to say:
"We are committed to making great interactive entertainment, while also marketing our products responsibly and supporting an effective rating system. We are pleased that the decision of the VAC has recognised that Manhunt 2 is well within the bounds established by other 18+ rated entertainment".
And he's absolutely right. In the ‘new and improved' version of Manhunt 2, you can barely see what's going on when performing particularly gruesome kills, thanks to a major distortion effect and camera angles which basically negate all the gore. It's no secret that this practically ruined the game, as reviews of the ‘uncensored' version were up in the 90% region, whilst the retail version scored in the 70s, showing just how much of an effect this has had on the gameplay. It's still a bloody and brutal game, but nowhere near the levels it once was, nor even the levels we've seen in other games such as Clive Barker's Jericho, which was passed with relatively no qualms by the BBFC. Manhunt 2 in its current form, just as Zelnick pointed out, is well within the bounds of other 18+ rated entertainment, and I really don't think the BBFC has much of a case against it this time. If the BBFC do indeed pass the title, we can expect it to reach the UK in late January/early February.
...But No More Heroes gets censored in Europe
Credit: IGN, Cubed3
No More Heroes has just gone on sale in Japan (to critical acclaim, I might add, with Famitsu scoring the title an extremely respectable 34/40), but for us Westerners, we have to wait a short while, with the game arriving on our shores in February. Ubisoft are the people responsible for bringing the game to the US, and you'll get the unadulterated buckets-o-blood version, with decapitations and limb loss resulting in fountains of claret spraying all over the screen. Not one to show your Grandma then!
But here in the UK, we're obviously too fragile for such content, and publisher Rising Star Games has declared that we will instead receive the Japanese version (although naturally still localized), in which chopping people in half with a beam katana unleashes...a cloud of black smoke? And an eruption of coins? *Sigh*
I don't want to be too harsh on Rising Star Games. After all, with all the controversy surrounding Manhunt 2, they're just trying to avoid a similar situation, and this is the best solution save for us not getting the game at all, which would of course be a travesty. And I don't want to make a big deal out of it; it's only blood, and the Japanese version didn't include it and yet still scored extremely high, proving that the game is something rather special even without all the gore. I just hate censorship point blank, and when the so-called ‘graphic content' is so over-the-top and ludicrous like it is in No More Heroes, I fail to see a legitimate reason why it should be cut.
Rising Star Games' Martin Defries sums it up for us:
"We're publishing the same version of No More Heroes that has been successfully received in Japan. Ultimately, it's a fantastic game to play and that's all we care about at Rising Games".
Fair point, Martin.
Great Nintendo Gaming Moments #6
Being the holiday season, I felt now was the perfect time to bring this back, along with my other usual features, which will appear in the coming weeks. Anyway, today Great Nintendo Gaming Moments makes a triumphant return, and we go right back to 1992 for one of the pioneering driving games of its time. Of course, I'm talking about Super Mario Kart on the SNES! But as for that moment that defines the game and is forever talked about when Nintendo history crops up? One track stands out above all others...Rainbow Road.
The very name strikes fear in the heart of some gamers. The sheer sense of dread when playing against your friends...this is YOUR game, you simply CAN'T fuck up. But Rainbow Road doesn't take it easy on you. Rainbow Road doesn't lead you by the hand. Put simply, Rainbow Road is evil.
See, the youth of today have it easy. Playing a game of Burnout or Gran Turismo or Project Gotham...what's the worst that will happen? You'll crash into a wall and lose a few precious seconds. But Rainbow Road? Oh, you'll only FALL OFF INTO THE ABYSS BELOW!! Sure, Lakitu will come pick you up, but you'll lose so much time it's probably not even worth continuing. Basically, one false move and that's it, the back of the pack you go.
For the uninitiated, Rainbow Road is the test of a TRUE gamer. No barriers. 90 degree turns. Thwomps spread out across the middle of the track. Seizure-inducing colors. It might not stand the test of time, but back in the day, this made grown men cry.
And the thing is, that's what made it so great. It was rock hard, but never felt unattainable. It wasn't the computer cheating; if you didn't win, it was because of your own foolish mistakes. I remember wasting entire afternoons on this one track, purely through telling myself "If I hadn't tried to cut that corner" or "If only I went round the SIDE of those Thwomps". Deep down inside, you know you can do it, right then and there, making it one of the most addictive tracks in Mario Kart history.
To this day, lap times are still being contested; a testament to just how much this one track means to the Nintendo gaming community. There's also the fact that a derivative of Rainbow Road has featured in every single Mario Kart game since; it's become as much of the franchise as the red shell and the banana skin, and Nintendo clearly recognise that fact. But don't be fooled by those imitations (...especially the Double Dash version, that was piss easy!). This is the real deal, and this is how hardcore gamers were tested back in the day.
The 411 Games Crew
Damian Sarcuni shows us why fighting games should never be made into brawling games in the latest Angry Gaming.
Tommy Coloma's Negative Edge News Report looks at rumors of the Dreamcast 2, Xbox Live membership controversy, the Spike TV Video Game Awards, and a look at all the upcoming releases.
The SIXAXIS News Report is brought to you by Mark Salmela and features news of God of War 3, Sony photoshopping Killzone 2 pics, and an early Christmas present for you all...the new Grand Theft Auto IV trailer!
Vincent Chiucchi has more on the Activision-Blizzard amalgamation in this week's Select and Start News Report. Plus, Eidos are caught red-handed doctoring the media's thoughts of Kane & Lynch, and the video game age rating system could soon change thanks to pressure from parents. Check it all out by simply clicking the link!
It's the Top 10 Best Endings Ever in The 10th Hour, presented by Derek Robbins.
And don't forget to enter the 411 Games competition for your chance to win some WWE-themed gaming goodies!
Next week will be the final Nintendophiles before Christmas, so all things being equal I'll be presenting a special ‘Nintendo Buyer's Guide' to help you and all your game-related festive woes! Have a good week, and I'll see you right back here, same place, same time!
