mario June 29th, 2007
I’ll go ahead and throw the big ol’ “rumor” label up here to be safe. Word on the (mean) streets (of IGN) is that the PS3 build of Beautiful Katamari has been shelved in favor of a brand-spankin’ new Wii version! This pleases me greatly, though I really ought to keep telling myself that rumors aren’t the same thing as product announcements (I learned my lesson getting all hyped up for Katamari on the DS; oh how I miss you, non-existent Katamari DS). I also should probably be a little worried about quality control, as I heard that the PSP game (lacking any involvement from series creator Keita Takahashi) was not quite as… Katamarity? as the previous titles. I never played that game, obviously, so if someone wants to counter me with an “it’s totally awesome wtf man”, feel free.
Certainly the control scheme would have to be a little different, but I don’t really think that’s much of a deal-breaker. Question: would using the Remote and Nunchuck as analogs (har har) for left and right DualShock sticks be okay? I think that might be okay, if the Nunchuck has decent-enough tilt-sensing. It seems to detect fairly subtle movements when I’m doing victory dances in Wii Sports Boxing, anyway.
Rumor rumor rumor. Don’t place too much stock in it! Still, it’s totally awesome that there will for sure be a Katamari game on the Wii.
(courtesy of IGN)
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mario June 26th, 2007
For the record, I totally side with Tycho’s stance on the matter (I probably sided with him before he even said it in the comic): game reviews with numerical values are pretty much meaningless when it comes to classic titles.
So to summarize this post: this game is fucking Lode Runner. Any fans of the Lode Runner games (ones that own a Wii, anyway) should grab it up immediately, and for shame on you for not noticing its availability on the Virtual Console sooner.
For everyone that hasn’t played before, for whom the self-evident sentiment above is meaningless: Battle Lode Runner is a game worth playing. It has dinosaurs, robots, gold… uh, Chinese guys… The object of the game is to collect all the gold in the level and escape before the enemy du jour makes physical contact with you (game heroes are such xenophobes). The only means you have of protecting yourself (beyond running away like some kind of coward) is to dig a hole in the ground. If an enemy falls in the hole, they’re temporarily incapacitated, giving you a chance to dance on his stupid head. That pretty much describes it! Go get ’em! The puzzles quickly get downright insidious, so you’d better get the game mechanics down fast.
I used to play a great Mac version back when I worked at a daycare center (I watched kids sometimes too! Honest!), so I was thrilled at the opportunity to grab up a nice classic version on the Wii.
The NES version is okay, but the Turbo-Grafx 16 edition is better-polished and includes more robust multiplayer modes for only a dollar more. IGN’s review (I was curious) says you should get it because it was the first VC title not previously available in the United States, but that’s stupid; you should play it because Lode Runner is a great game that deserves more than the relative obscurity it has fallen prey to, and Battle Lode Runner is a solid entry in the series.
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mario June 23rd, 2007
Maybe I’m a little masochistic, but I regularly check up on the latest IGN happenings. Despite so much of their content being the hollow “every game is awesome” rhetoric inherent in all large-scale game review sites, they do provide extensive coverage on just about every game out there (except for Doki Doki Majo Shinpan; head over to DS Fanboy for up-to-the-minute news on that gem ^_^). Anyway, IGN was conducting an interview with Alain Tascan from EA Montreal regarding the upcoming (and very awesome-looking) Boogie, when the conversation turned to the state of the industry (as it often does)…
IGN: Are you surprised by how well Nintendo has managed to turn things around?
Alain Tascan: I think that Nintendo has always been focused on creating software and they certainly set a standard which the industry then follows. But now I think it’s possible for most homes to have more than one videogames console. You have an Xbox 360 or PS3 for the high definition experience and you have a Wii for fun.
(emphasis mine)
Well said, EA guy, well said.
(courtesy of IGN Wii)
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mario June 19th, 2007
…when it comes to the two companies that make some of my favorite products to idly pass the time by, I have to at least note their existence. Some random tech rumormill I’ve never heard of called Noheat claims that Nintendo is going to produce games for Apple’s rapidly impending guaranteed-hundreds-of-millions-seller iPhone. The games will supposedly sell for $29 through the iTunes Store, will be “catered to an older audience” and will utilize a virtual D-pad on the touchscreen.
Can I just say… bullshit? Why in the world would Nintendo risk cannibalizing sales of their own wildly successful DS games? And even more importantly, their own wildly successful DS hardware? Can anyone remember the last time Nintendo made even a single game for someone else’s hardware? Donkey Kong‘s licensing by Coleco and various other companies in the early 80’s is all that comes to mind. And would anyone spend $29 on a cellphone game? iPod video-based games force us to only part with a single Mr. Lincoln. No matter how insanely great the iPhone’s gonna be, a gaming platform it ain’t. Oh yeah, and a touchscreen D-pad would blow chunks.
I don’t normally try and convey terribly strong convictions one way or another when it comes to rumors (I’m actually waiting on a computer purchase based on what I’ve read on various Apple rumor sites), but yeah, I’ll just go ahead and say it. Bullshit.
(courtesy of TUAW)
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mario June 8th, 2007
Name: LEGO Universe
Release date: Q4 2008
Beyond that… not a lot new to report. The text blurbs tout the game as “bring[ing] the construction and creativity inherent to LEGO into a new, safe and fun virtual experience”. I’m all for an MMOG that strives to be kid-friendly, and I’ve got an awful hankerin’ for building an entire universe of LEGO, so Q4 2008 couldn’t feel further away right now. Both NetDevil’s portal and the official site are equally devoid of content, but at least the latter has the ubiquitous mailing list submission form. We’ll see if they actually make use of it.
I’ll send them suggestions and the like when solicited, but since there doesn’t seem to yet be any such avenue of communication: PLEASE RELEASE THIS GAME ON THE MAC OR YOUR ONLINE-CAPABLE NINTENDO CONSOLE OF CHOICE.
(thanks kotaku, you know how to start my morning awesomely)
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