Saturday, July 31, 2010

How would you counter-argue these? 2

Written by pikaby


Occasionally I pick up really obvious fanboy game reviews from the depths of the scum known as user-contributed reviews and stack them up against what everyone else loves about the game. First one was Mario Galaxy 2, now I'm putting a Monster Hunter Tri review under close scrutiny. Again, I won't link to this review for privacy protection reasons, but enjoy seeing what this prick had to bash about MH3.



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Friday, July 30, 2010

Pokemon Black/White- 6 minute commercial, 3 new Pokemon

Written by pikaby



Since I'm too lazy to take my own screenshots, well Pokebeach has them, right? I'll place them here.

Some things we learnt from the video (other than the 3 Pokemon):
  • The cutscenes are lovely
  • White Forest > Black City. It's just so different from all the towns and cities you usually travel to. The Pokemon Center's position is so much more unique
  • Pokemon Musical, a new mode which is most likely the replacement for Pokemon Contests and the current Fashion Case. Up to four Pokemon participate in a song/dance routine. Rhythm minigames- you gotta love them.
  • C Gear is for link-up convenience. Whenever and wherever you are your DS is always connected and you can interact with other Trainers at any time. You'll know where they are in Isshu and they know where you are too. Who needs private time?
  • High Link has a purpose- you play missions in the opposite version's game world, and get rewards for completing them. What's a 'Derudama'? Must be something fun if it's offered as a reward in this manner.
  • Pokemon Dream World and linking up to the Internet. Hopefully does not require insane up-to-date Flash Player.
  • PokeShifter, the replacement for Pal Park. Instead of walking in the grass waiting for Pokemon to pop up, you play a minigame where you throw balls at the six Pokemon hiding in bushes to catch them. Much faster and easier than the old way.
  • Team Plasma (the bad guys, obviously) is confirmed.
Now for the new Pokemon...


Shikijika is the small deer Pokemon in the opponent's corner. Pray this isn't related to Stantler in any way- he was so booooring.


Miruhoggu, the evolved form of Minezumi. Also reveals one more fact- now two wild Pokemon can show up instead of one. If you didn't get enough of double battles in the 3rd and 4th Gen games(in-game trainers who want a 2-on-2 battle are so damn scarce, aren't they?), this will give you an overdose.

And the swan Pokemon below Chiramii, in the official Pokemon Musical art.

Look at the gameplay footage, the more I see the more I want the game right now. I really want to skip importing B/W and wait for the US version, but this is just getting too hard to resist!
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Thursday, July 29, 2010

What's in your DSi Camera album?

Written by pikaby

Own a DSi? Then you'll have probably used its camera at least once or twice. What's in your album? I use mine regularly especially when I go out with friends and have a good time together, or bring my DS on long trips and take pictures of interesting things (and unnecessary junk) along the way. From the day I got mine I've had about 90 pictures in my album. About ten of them are uploaded to my Facebook account, which are the more interesting ones that don't feature my face or anyone else's (don't want to betray people's privacy now, right?)


Some kid playing at an open public fountain near a cafe I was at. Hope he doesn't catch a cold when he goes back.


A beach picture, with my footprint next to a Manaphy I drew out. Hey, it's actually meaningful to leave behind memories like this. I've posted this picture before. Try to find it.


Whose are these? PS3 games in a Nintendo column? They actually belong to Cross, and I got a chance to take a look at a couple of the five games shown here. Pretty nice ones too.


My little angel, a Togekiss Pokedoll. It's not much bigger than the palm of my hand, but that face. THAT FACE. It's irresistable!


Best name ever devised for a coffee shop. Starbucks be damned.
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Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Met Pokemon Zero, Victini!

Written by pikaby
Yes, it's a blog about the fairly interesting Gen 5 Pokemon with the fairly interesting Pokedex number.

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Metroid Other M: Story trailer

Written by pikaby



Finally, something new to see from Metroid Other M. Kinda weird to see such a highly-wanted game get this little hype. No crazy 'daily trailers' like in Mario Galaxy 2. But doing that would probably mean spoiling whatever epic story Nintendo has in store. And this trailer kicks ass anyway. Every little bit of gameplay seems to always be more fast-paced than the previous one, and the number of upgrades possible surprised me. It's like Prime, but tethered to a 2D plane.
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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Koopa's Hell

Written by pikaby

Does CollegeHumor allow embedding?...Yeaaah.....no. Oh well, I guess it won't hurt to give a link to the video. Ever wondered what happened to the Koopa shell you jumped on and it bounces back and forth between two pipes/obstacles forever? No one ever thought about what the poor turtle was thinking of before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4-6BJkz2rI

Actually, in a real Mario game, all you do is advance a little bit more into the stage and if you back-track, the bouncing shell is no more. Either it disappears or the Koopa is back out again and walking like nothing happened. Not so much of a bouncing hell now.

But still...What goes on in the mind of the Koopa? WHAT GOES ON IN THE MIND OF THE KOOPA!!!!! IN HIS ENDLESS BOUNCING HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mario's being so sadistic, lol.
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pikaby's Flipnote Feature- Reasons for Delay

Written by pikaby


If I have fans out there who are sorely missing my weekly Flipnote Feature (come on, I know you're out there, comment if you have to), there's really no special reason why I stopped making them for a full month other than how busy I've been. Between running the Nintendo 5-Star's forum, which is still arguably the main component of the site, and juggling the rest of my free time between preparing to go to university, Photoshopping, and other sites, I'm always fully booked even if you give me three hours straight in front of the PC.

Although I'm not averse to a little bit of lurking now and then, heheh. Procrastination FTW. Anyway, I'll give my promise, you lot will see another Flipnote Feature by the end of this week. I swares it! (typo intended, grammar nazi types)
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Super Mario Gas

Written by pikaby


Found off Kotaku. Nice find! Hope Bowser doesn't pay this gas station a visit.
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Aonuma- 3DS is perfect for Zelda

Written by pikaby


"I am excited. With the Nintendo 3DS, all of the new elements and the 3D technology is perfect for The Legend Of Zelda series. It's everything from the depth that you get from riding through vistas or a more accurate sense of distance between you and the enemy you are fighting. I think it is perfect for this series. Of course we are very excited to see what it can do. Of course I look at what the development environment is like and one of the things that I want to take up further going forward is how playing in 3D effects things. Does it make you tired? Do you want to create a game where players are sitting in front of their systems for a long period of time? Obviously there are things that can be 3D but we don't have to shoehorn it in. If it's beneficial, of course, we'll want to use it. So what I would like to do is to take a look at what other people are doing out there, see what the reaction is, then go back and figure out exactly what I want out of 3D." - Eiji Aonuma

Let's see what the Zelda team can come up with that the original DS couldn't possibly do. Sequel to Spirit Tracks? An entirely new Zelda? Count me in. After we get that Ocarina of Time remake out of the way.

But to me I don't think 3D adds anything more to the game other than the feeling of immersion. It can't and won't introduce any new innovative new gameplay methods (although that's probably the 3DS gyrosensor's job). The feeling of 'being in the world' is probably more important to games where exploration plays a big part like Metroid (remember Prime and how lovely it was? 3DS remake...wait...no, nevermind that when you have the Wii trilogy). I'll probably just stop rambling and leave this as a footnote for things to come. Can't complain with any new Zelda that gets announced anyway.
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Sunday, July 25, 2010

Pokemon Black/White: The Definitive Guide

Written by pikaby


Overwhelmed by the torrent of news that come flooding in every few weeks or so? Let me try to put everything we already know about Pokemon Black/White (as of July 24th) into order. Those of you interested but haven't been able to catch up, this is your chance!

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Saturday, July 24, 2010

Pokemon Black/White- Victini

Written by pikaby



Just a few hours ago the mysterious orange Pokemon that was shown at the end of the Zoroark movie (Pokebeach.com- all credits go here~) has been named in this week's Pokemon Sunday. It's a legendary Pokemon, called Victini, which plays on the word 'victory'. Oddly its Pokedex entry is before Tsutaaja in the Isshu Dex. You know what that means?

#000. The MissingNo. number.

I don't know why they decided to put Victini there, but it  doesn't fit anywhere in the Pokedex, its entry slotted on the very upper end on the edge of the screen. That probably means something special, although it doesn't look nice.


See how out of place it is? Again, I still hope there's another 'cute legendary', because Victini doesn't do it for me like Manaphy did. Still, better than when I first saw it though.

Pokemon Sunday also revealed the method to obtain it, and it's probably the easiest out of any promo legendary to get ever. Right from Pokemon B/W's launch in Japan you'll be able to download a 'Liberty Ticket' to get a Victini over Wi-fi.


Will we see Victini in a future movie? I guess only time will tell, since we don't know any more about Victini, its species name, its Pokedex entry, its type, or its moves.
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Taiko no Tatsujin DS3: All the text passwords!

Written by pikaby


Sourced from a Japanese blog (but don't know how he managed to crack it). The audio password unlocked a new song, and these are the text passwords that let you access all the remaining hidden costumes and sounds in Taiko no Tatsujin DS3. Leaked, they are. Nintendo 5-Star, the blog with the most hidden tricks and tips on obscure Japanese games or your money back. These are noted as spoilers, so importers, take note.

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Friday, July 23, 2010

Pokemon Black/White Gameplay Videos

Written by pikaby



If anything's big news right now, it's Pokemon. New footage from Pokebeach.com shows the opening scenes. Lovely! You're with your two rivals, Belle and Cheren. You receive a package containing 3 Pokemon from Prof. Araragi, then the ensuing battle(s) wrecks your room. Boy, I'm not going to clean that up. The starters' cries all sound like farting noises, especially Pokabu's...god dammit. Cheers all around for high-quality close-up sprites. If there's more like this I would be so happy~ What I'm not happy about is how laggy everything is...or maybe I'm just imagining things and the player has the text speed set to 'Slow'.



This video is battles galore, showing all the Pokemon we know up to now and a few of the new attacks, and ways to display the Pokemon's abilities. Rankurusu isn't affected by the sandstorm (Dustproof). Mamepato's defense won't drop (Pigeon Breast). Meguroko's attack goes up when he KOs someone. It doesn't show a triple battle though, and everything moves at a treacle pace....can't they speed things up? This is not the pace at which I want to do random Pokemon battles.

Other notable changes include the music changing when your Pokemon reaches low HP, and the moving sprite slows down. Good! Also, random camera angle changing for no reason. Games don't do that kind of erratic movements, which might suggest that you'll be able to move it around as you wish while standing by (in multiplayer)

Oh, also a bit of Hiun City at the end. Note the perspective shifts.
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Thursday, July 22, 2010

Zelda: Skyward Sword is set before Ocarina of Time

Written by pikaby

This came from Official NIntendo Magazine spending some chat time with Eiji Aonuma.

“Yes there is a master timeline but its confidential document! The only people to have access to that document are myself, Mr. Miyamoto and the director of the title. We cant share it with anyone else! I have already talked to Mr. Miyamoto about this so I am comfortable in releasing this information – this title [Skyward Sword] takes place before Ocarina of Time. if I said that a certain title was ‘the first Zelda game’, then that means that we cant ever make a title that takes place before that! So for us to add titles to the series, we have to have a way of putting the titles before or after each other.” - Eiji Aonuma

I get a brain freeze everytime I think of Zelda games being in chronological order, but this could be the start of something more stable.
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Tomena Sanner

Written by pikaby



Oh Japan, why you so crazy? I've only just found this out through this week's Nintendo Week show, but it's been out in Japan since last year. Guess it's never too late to catch up.

The typical Japanese crazy is injected in the story. I'll let the official site explain it best.

'Business man Hitoshi Susumu is behind schedule and is in quite a rush. In fact, he won't stop once he starts to run! Dashing past samurais, T-Rexes, cowboys, and all manner of wacky obstacles Mr. Susumu must get to the goal as fast as he can for the ultimate 2D dance party.'

It's all a bit like Bit.Trip Runner. You have to press buttons at the perfect timing with the music to avoid obstacles. And where Dance Dance Revolution gave out 'Good!' and 'Great!' for hitting notes in time, this one goes one further with an emphatic 'GREEEAT!' Worth buying alone just to see how many 'E's they can add to that word.

Out now for 500 Wii Points.
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Pokemon Black/White : Mamanbou

Written by pikaby


Guess the most happenings with Nintendo right now reside in Japan, where Poke-mania is taking place. One new Pokemon from the shot, the pink heart-shaped fish, whose name is Mamanbou. The Pokemon next to it is called Gigiasu. We saw this in the unnamed screenshot together with Rankurusu and Gochiruzeru, if you still remember.

In between boogermon and goth tower. That's Gigiasu.
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What makes a game compelling and addictive?

Written by pikaby

Okay, I realized I haven't made a long detailed blog in a while. But who can blame me? I'm always busy, and the daily news updates are enough to sustain the blog (and all you readers). For this post, I asked this question to everyone at the forum and at my profile at Gamespot.com : 'What makes videogames compelling and addictive? What is that secret something that keeps you playing for hours on end?'

Guys at the forum were straightforward and less forthcoming with details as usual. 'Gameplay.' Full stop. 'Story.' Full stop. Oh come on guys. Gameplay is important, but it has to be a certain element in a game that keeps you coming back for more. This has to be explained in more detail. For example, two great Wii games, Mario Galaxy 2 and Monster Hunter Tri. When you stack the review scores up together, Galaxy 2 trumps. But in terms of play time, Monster Hunter wins out. Why? 'Online play' is the most obvious answer. Most games these days can't be seen without it, and bemoaned for not including it (Mario Galaxy 2 troll reviewer, you know who you are). But even so it still has to be done right and in a certain way to suck people in.

Friends from Gamespot had more detailed comments. Returning to a loved game series whenever a sequel comes out, but with new, fresh elements to keep the formula from getting stale. Online multiplayer and making friends on the fly. A good storyline...wait. I have to disagree on this. A good story keeps you playing the game if just to find out what happens next (Phoenix Wright being a good example). But once you reach the end and the credits roll, would you go back to the beginning and play again? Most games anchored to a strong storyline don't have the same compelling nature once the entire story has been conveyed to the player. Even if you do want to play it again it feels more forced than usual, with you skipping past the 'play' part of the game to get to your favorite scenes. And you already know what's going to happen anyway so what's the point anymore? It's like watching and re-watching a DVD. And don't even get me started on plot spoilers...

One point for compelling and addictive games, which I got from a freind at Gamespot, is the simplicity of the game. The commenter used Pokemon as an example...but there's a much better one. Remember Tetris?


One of the simplest and most beautiful concepts in puzzle games, which even now remains unrivaled. You could easily go 20 hours and the game still wouldn't end. The lines continue stacking up, the blocks continue falling down, the lines keep on clearing, the scores keep on rising, your bleary eyes keep on looking and you just Can. Not. Stop. I guess this has something to do with people liking to stack up things in neat rows and columns and seeing their effort pay off when they clear and points are earned. Or maybe they're aiming for a new high score. Decades on and Tetris still doesn't grow stale at all.

'Seeing their effort pay off'. I guess what's most important here is how the game rewards you. There's a delicate balance- whatever gifts the game doles out to you must be proportionate to the amount of time you spend playing it. Like in an RPG- you gain experience points and level up, growing stronger. If it's too easy to level up, or the new skills you gain are too powerful, that would ruin whatever you have left of the game. That's a case when the game rewards you with too much. Too little...think of MMOs where billions of EXP are required to level up, or things like Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, where enemies get too strong, too fast. Beating enemies becomes a thankless grind and gets boring very quickly.

But when the game does it right, the result is wonderful. Monster Hunter Tri, for example. The 'wyverns' or boss monsters, are almost never out of your reach in terms of your skill level, but will still give you a hard time. Beating them, you're rewarded first with the uplifting 'quest complete' theme song which never gets old, followed by all the spoils you carve from your monsters, which include rare items you might want to upgrade your armor and weapons with, and the cycle just continues. Weapons and armor get rarer and rarer, and together with that the items you have to gather to forge them get more and more elusive. The escalating rarity and power of your items and equipment just never seems to end, and you're always compelled to play more to find out where it'll stop. It's just that exact sense of accomplishment when among all the common things you get for completing a hunt, you get something rare. The game rewards you appropriately, and it's this that keeps you going.

And it's the same rewards system that taps into another factor, which is inclusion of sidequests and post-game content. I don't know about the rest of you, but when I've finally finished a game which I've been slaving away at for two weeks or more and see the staff credits roll, there's always a feeling of satisfaction, followed by an empty feeling that well, you've done everything. There's nothing more for you to see in that favorite game of yours. Post-game content is the game's way of rewarding your efforts for completing the game. New stages? New modes? New playable characters? Achievements and new difficulty levels? All good. If there's post-game content, it would compel people to keep on playing, and adds to the overall longevity. But heaven forbid that the only thing you'll unlock after completion is....a concept art gallery/'sound test' mode/other BS that doesn't make you want to play more.

But enough of playing by your own, as many other people have said, online multiplayer can be just as addictive. But it has to be a certain something to be a successful pull to the player as well. If all online play gave you was 2 on 2 duels or the like with no real rewards, would you play it? Sure, you show off your skills, but it's a waste of time. Add in a points/ranking system, leaderboards, friends lists, and the game soars. Mario Kart Wii has a points system for both Race and Battle Mode. It just feels good when you trump over 11 rivals and see that number increase by a wide margin. It just feels good. Same with Monster Hunter Tri, again. A 'Hunter Rank' system, that rewards you with even tougher and interesting quests for leveling up. Half of the content and the most epic battles in MH3 can only be accessed online, in fact. It's a compelling reason to get your Wii hooked up. And as said by friends at Gamespot, it only works if the online game allows you to show your skills alongside others, alongside everyone that's online regardless of how much time they've already invested in it, instead of putting low-leveled players at a disadvantage, as in Call of Duty.

And that's probably why we just continue to play games, to see the rewards which each game has to offer us at each stage of play. After the first boss battle, after the middle, after the climax point, and after the staff roll. It's this unknown disc/cartridge of surprises which keeps on attracting people to play, and will for many years to come.
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Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Chill out with Sonic

Written by pikaby
Don't know whether I should put this here when half the forum community are anti-Sonic, but even non-Sonic fans can tell how wrong the eyes are. Sonic's looking behind you. Also, probably tastier than it looks.
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Monday, July 19, 2010

New Trailer for Okamiden

Written by pikaby



Chibiterasu remains adorable, but the vibe Capcom are going for in this trailer is closer to the original Okami than everything else they've shown so far, from the classic epic music, to the revealing of new bosses and partners. Lot more fight scenes than in the first trailer too.

Japanese get their furry paws on the game this September, while it's still an agonizing wait for US...urgh, why'd it have to be next year?
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Super Mario Galaxy 2 goes platinum

Written by pikaby

Nintendo's own PR email reads:

In the month of June, U.S. sales of Nintendo’s Super Mario Galaxy™ 2 for the Wii™ system reached 548,000 units, according to the independent NPD Group, bringing the game’s cumulative nationwide sales to more than 1.1 million units. Also in June, Nintendo systems sold a combined 933,000 units, accounting for 50 percent of all gaming hardware units sold in the United States. The Nintendo DS™ family of hand-held systems topped the charts with more than 510,000 units sold, bringing life-to-date unit sales to nearly 42 million. Wii system sales totaled more than 422,000, closing in on a cumulative milestone of 30 million units sold in the United States alone.

“Consumers continue to look to Nintendo for exceptional value and one-of-a-kind gaming experiences,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Between games like Super Mario Galaxy 2, the pioneering motion controls of the Wii system and the portable fun of Nintendo DS systems, Nintendo offers something for everyone. As we prepare to launch a remarkable lineup of new games in the second half of the year, we are grateful that consumers are supporting Nintendo consoles to continue their run as the nation’s most popular game systems.”

Six of the top 10 best-selling games of June play on Nintendo systems. These include Super Mario Galaxy 2 for Wii at No. 2 with more than 548,000 sold, New Super Mario Bros.™ Wii at No. 4 with more than 200,000 sold, Just Dance™ for Wii at No. 5 with nearly 175,000 sold, Toy Story 3: The Video Game for Nintendo DS at No. 6 with more than 164,000 sold, Wii Fit™ Plus with the Wii Balance Board accessory at No. 7 with more than 148,000 sold and LEGO® Harry Potter™: Years 1-4 for Wii at No. 9 with more than 136,000 sold.

Still didn't help Galaxy 2 top Red Dead Redemption last month, but breaking a million is always no easy feat. Well, not for Galaxy 2., or any other decent quality title Nintendo's ever made.

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Gamers FTW!

Written by pikaby


That's deep, bros. Real deep. Never thought of Pac-Man as the pie chart kind of person.

Probably really old, but hey.
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Sunday, July 18, 2010

Pokemon Sunday Footage July 18th, 2010

Written by pikaby



Basically everything this month's issue of CoroCoro revealed, but moving, so probably easier to understand for people who don't like wading through mounds of text.
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Nintendo 5-Star SummerCon Update 2

Written by pikaby

It's mid-July, that means we're halfway done with this year's SummerCon! Most of the major contests are either not accepting any more participants or has already ended, but don't fret! There are always a few more that you can still jump in at any time. And the new member promotion is and will be on till the end of August, so newbies will not be left out, I assure you!


User War Meme Edition

A hurt and heal match between 15 users! Or, it would be 15, had game master CRAZ1ah not left a blank space there. Yep, there's room for one more warring type to jump in. Want to be the 16th person in this meme slap-a-thon?

Kill Mechachick 2: The Return of God

Basically, harp on a giant robot with all the creative attacks you could possibly think of! Headed up by newly-promoted moderator Crossburn, and open to all.

Ego

An RP (role-play) game led by forum co-admin DestinyGuy. Look forward to it in mid-August!
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I am officially in love with Rankurusu

Written by pikaby

In one breath then.....RANKURUSU IS SOOOOOOOOO CUUUUUUUTEEEEEEEE OMGOMGOMGOMG *takes deep breath*. Okay. Now that that's out of the way, if you haven't already figured it out, the little green booger from Gen 5 is now my most favorite Pokemon of this generation.


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Thursday, July 15, 2010

Okamiden Collector's Edition

Written by pikaby


Nobody does collector's editions like Capcom does (Nintendo, take note, not all your gamers are members of Club Nintendo). And boy, did they pull it off for Okamiden!

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Pokemon Black/White July CoroCoro- All the New Details, Pt.2

Written by pikaby


Eh, couldn't finish the feature yesterday, so I'll continue today. The rest of the scans relate to connectivity and online modes.

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Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Pokemon Black/White July CoroCoro- All the New Details

Written by pikaby


The ones on the previous blog are leaked, but now that it's all official, let's see the real, clear scans now


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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

When Smash Bros Brawl and Monster Hunter Tri meet...

Written by pikaby


Some pretty amazing crossover is created. THIS is why texture hacks exist in Smash Bros. Brawl!

A bright spark has replaced the Final Destination stage with the ship you ride on in 'The Festival of Fear', an urgent quest found online in Monster Hunter Tri. Good choice, this is one of the most epic quests in the entire game, featuring one of the most epic boss encounters in the game, the elder dragon Jhen Mohran. Seen the trailers? You know how massive it is. One of the music tracks in Brawl(this guy chose Pictochat) has also been replaced with the track that plays in the Jhen Mohran fight.

The texture hack can be downloaded from here, but don't ask me how to make it work, I'm not that great at hacking Wiis.



Come on now. Tell me this isn't the most amazing thing you've ever seen. Jhen Mohran is animated in full in the background, but it doesn't pose any hazard to the fighters in the foreground, and not enough effects on the moving sand. Nevertheless, one of the best hacks ever made for Brawl. Game enough to try?
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3DS Interview, lots of info

Written by pikaby

Wired.com's interview with Hideki Konno of Nintendo reveals lots of choice bits of information for the upcoming 3D handheld.

On analog control for 3DS:

Wired.com: There’s now an analog slide pad on the device. Is this additional control feature related to the 3-D graphics?

Konno: There is no direct relationship; it’s not that we created the slide pad because the system supports 3-D. But I have been developing console games for a very long time, and I think analog control is necessary. I want to have Mario Kart with analog control. Not only myself, but also Mr. Miyamoto was insisting that our next handheld have analog control.

It was long overdue stuff anyway- left and right, you'll hear DS fans crying out to the gods for an analog stick (that isn't in a hand-cramping PSP position). Shame about the D-pad being in the lower position now- it's gonna be awkward playing old DS games.

About 3DS' Tag Mode:

Wired.com: You mentioned Tag Mode, which will let users exchange game data regardless of what game they’re currently playing. So if I want to trade Nintendogs with someone, it’ll be saved on the hardware, not the cartridge?

Konno: In the hardware, we have the capability that when you first play a game that supports Tag Mode, it will save to a Tag Mode data slot in the hardware system. We are planning to support multiple games at the same time: Mario Kart, Nintendogs, Animal Crossing, etc.

Wired.com: And so there must be a menu in the hardware where you can manage the data, delete the data for games you aren’t using anymore …

Konno: Yes, we’ll prepare a Tag Mode Viewer, where if you look at the viewer you’ll be able to see that, for example you were able to connect with 50 people in Nintendogs and got their data, or got 100 people in Animal Crossing.

Like a more glorified version of the DS Download Play service, this. But I wonder what people are going to do with all those save files? Also, 3DS does it on its own without the player's consent? Brr...

About 3DSWare:

Wired.com: When I start thinking about data storage, I start thinking about downloadable games. 3DS will have some sort of downloadable game library, a 3DSWare, right?

Konno: I can’t talk about specifics today, unfortunately, but like WiiWare and DSiWare there should be downloadable content for this platform.

*wiggles eyebrows* Virtual Console, handheld edition. Now.

On 3DS' motion capabilities:


Wired.com: There’s an accelerometer and gyroscope in the 3DS. Does that mean it pretty much does what the Wii MotionPlus does?

Konno: Yes, the same type of motion sensing is possible.

Pretty unenthusiastic answer. If only we knew how it stacks up compared to the Motion Plus.

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Sunday, July 11, 2010

Pokemon Black/White New Pokemon! 6

Written by pikaby


A movie teaser for the 14th Pokemon movie, featuring Reshiram and Zekrom, and a leaked copy of the latest CoroCoro magazine shows even more news! All images from Pokebeach.com.

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Taiko no Tatsujin DS3: The 51st Song

Written by pikaby


Officially speaking, Taiko no Tatsujin DS3's songlist has 50 songs. But a hidden password screen hides one more song. What's the song like? "I'm lovin' it". Get the hint now?


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Wednesday, July 7, 2010

DS saves mom from Car Crash

Written by pikaby


Every week, without fail it seems, there's one amazing story about the DS after another. Here's this week's edition, coming from Down Under. (Image from Kotaku)

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Dragon Quest Slime Drink

Written by pikaby


Image from Kotaku

Square Enix made these beauts in collaboration with drinks company Suntory. All in Japan, folks. The drinks comes in two flavors: blue Hoimi Cider and orange Mera Tropical. Siliconera points out that the names are based off spells in Dragon Quest with "Hoimi" referring to "heal" and "Mera" meaning "Frizz".

Also, there exist blue and orange slimes in Dragon Quest.

God, now I HAVE to have one of these...they look so CUTE.  Probably wouldn't drink any of it though....I'd keep it in the freezer till it rots. Or something that happens to liquids when they go bad.
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Monday, July 5, 2010

Pokemon Black/White New Pokemon! 5

Written by pikaby


This time, new ones have leaked out from a new line of those PVC Pokemon figurines I love so much, including a green Pokemon that might not be genuine. Just look at it. Ew. If this was real, hope the in-game version looks better, or something.

There's definitely better to be had though. We have a Tsutaaja figurine, and a figure of the Pokemon in the character sheet from earlier (next to Jessie). I thought it had insect eyes, but man, I didn't know it would be so CUTE. Holy crap!


Now, tell me that isn't good design. Gen 5 is going to rock!

Now, about Koromori, it's not in one of those PVC figures, but a new Black/White commercial shows its back(adjacent to Tsutaaja). Argh, let us see its face. It's blue though. I had the impression that it would be brown, because it looked so similar to a Kuriboh (from Yugioh)



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Taiko no Tatsujin DS: Dororon! Youkai Dai Kessen! Special Import Review

Written by pikaby

Alright, I said I'd review it, so here we are! Since the songlist is the lifeline of any rhythm game, and most especially Taiko no Tatsujin, I'll make that the most important point of my review. But first, everything else.


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Miyamoto to make new character!

Written by pikaby


In direct quote to him from one of his meetings (gee, Nintendo and gamers in general treat his words like gold, heck, more valuable than gold):

- "I get more ideas when I'm busy, and with that meaning, this is an extremely good condition now."
- "Amongst the present promises, I have to finish Pikmin quickly, so production is progressing extremely well."

Well then, as long as you're still working on it we can avoid calling you lazy. Not that you've ever churned out any duds. We trust you.

- "For Nintendogs, which we announced at E3, cats will appear this time. Recently, I've been taking care of cats. I'm often asked about my interests, but the CEO has told me to if possible not speak about this as the theme of my next game would be known externally. About one year back, I started talking about cats, and right according to schedule, it was announced. We'll soon be completing Nintendogs + Cats, which features cats. Also, I'm still full of energy. Recently, I've been doing a lot of things -- continuing to work hard at swimming, for instance, and also having exchanges with school kids, doing such things a serving on a neighborhood youth guidance committee.

Hands up for whoever thinks one of his future games will be based on school life. Maybe he'll make something that makes Surviving High School look like crap. Oh wait, it already is crap. Miyamoto has nothing to worry about then.

"I think that next year I can probably deliver something new. I'm still active on the development scene, so please look forward to [my output]. It's been nearly 10 years since I made the Pikmin character, so I feel this is the year where I must at long last make a new character. This is as far as I'll answer today."

At long last, a new Nintendo IP, or a hint at it, anyway. Could this be the breakthrough they need? In any case, I'd be extra happy if the character turns out to be as cute as the Pikmin are. Hey, I love cute.
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Friday, July 2, 2010

Nintendo Condoms

Written by pikaby

No really. I'll leave it at that.



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Thursday, July 1, 2010

Club Nintendo Elite Status Rewards 2010!

Yes, the rewards for Club Nintendo have been announced for the 2009/2010 year. Last year we got a Mario Hat or Doc Louis' Punch-Out!! for Platinum and a calendar for Gold... what about this year?


So, Platinum gets a fancy figurine and Gold gets... another calendar. Not bad. Not bad at all. (Image directly from Nintendo.)
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Rhythm meets its new partner

Written by pikaby


Talk about odd couples. One of the least likely pairing in the videogame world has occured, and it's in a cult Japanese rhythm game with a penchant for doing things a regular rhythm game normally wouldn't dare.

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Play as Master Hand in Smash Bros Melee!

Written by pikaby

Johnny139 found it and posted it on the forums, which came from Gametrailers, which in turn is credited to one user for having too much free time to find this glitch.

Before you call BS, this is actually a myth, now proven to work. It's quite fiddly, but at least now you don't have to hack to get Master Hand as your character. Cool, eh?


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Pokemon Black/White- Four leaked Pokemon


This was actually leaked a while back...but I wanted to wait for Pokebeach to feature it to confirm that it's for real.

At the end of a D/P Pokemon anime episode, a preview of the Black/White season was aired, it's called Pocket Monsters: Best Wishes. Since everything there corresponds to the above leaked character sheet, this proves that it's not a fake. Ergo, all the new Pokemon in there are also real.

That small bat Pokemon that looks like a fuzzball(above Jessie) is called Koromori.

The one with insect eyes, next to Pikachu....eh, I can't read it out.

Next to Mijumaru and Tsutaja are their evolutions! Exciting, isn't it? By the way, that Tsutaja is nicknamed...He's called Ivy. Whose is it? Definitely not going to Ash.

The names f the evolved forms of the aforementioned starter Pokemon are also damn hard to make out, for Mijumaru it's Rakono...something. 'Rako' means otter, that much I know, so it makes sense to have it as part of the Pokemon's name.

Oh well, we've got a ways to go before we learn anything really concrete, but drool over the details we have now, eh?
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