My copy of Metroid Prime 3 Corruption came today from Amazon.com! I spent a bit of time exploring the first area of the game and getting used to the controls. It took me awhile to get used to the sensitivity. Unfortunately, you do need to move a bit to the left or right on the screen to turn/aim. Having to communicate with friends to get all the extras sounds neat, althought I don’t know how much it will be used. Lastly, my roommate Jim came up behind me and commented on the lack of anti-aliasing, to which I replied, “This isn’t an XBox 360.” He’s used to playing Bioshock on his PC, so I can understand how bad graphics are the first thing he noticed. I noticed less jaggies when I turned down the sharpness on my TV, but they were still noticeable if I stared at it closely enough. Luckily I can’t notice the jaggies with my bad vision from my normal gaming distance from the TV, which is about a foot or so.
All I care about is a good game. If the developers can do that with a smooth framerate, it’s not worth the extra processing power for anti-aliasing if it’s going to degrade the perceived look of the game. Most non-gamers — I think — notice a difference in framerate more than a difference in AA or resolution. Also, I am using a 26″ widescreen HDTV. I’m sure most people are using 19″ or smaller TVs, thus the lack of AA wouldn’t be as noticeable on a smaller scale.
To any new MP3 gamers, have fun getting corrupted like me over the Labor Day weekend!
…some copies of the game use the U.S. translation of the game, which features the word “spastic” in the game text.
The use of the word is quite different in the UK, compared to the U.S., where it and its many derivatives are a common schoolyard insult implying a mental or physical disability - particularly relating to the symptoms of cerebral palsy.
I just think the UK’s use of the word spastic is weird. Secondly, why in the world would a Mario Party game ever use the word spastic? I mean it’s a party game sure, but….
Since things are back to normal, (finally) I can read up on some interesting stories, and post them here for you all to enjoy:
Employee gets fired because of his prior work history: Hmmm…I would have to agree that the lawyer’s word of “it depends” would apply here.
Microsoft makes a tabletop PC (article / pics): Now all we need are two joysticks at either end, some Pong going, and we’re back in the 80s, or so I’m told. If they make a wall version of that, two words: Minority Report (one of my all-time favorite movies).
Kromofons: making the alphabet into colors (article / pics): I think this is interesting, but as a peron who has a visual impairment, I wonder how colorblind people would deal with this? I’m not colorblind mind you, but I don’t think this would catch on in the real world. It could be used as a secret code for now. I noticed how the creator of it thought about backgrounds, and avoided using the colors white or black for letters. Spam like this would be interesting! Spam could become a work of art, much like this.
Nintendo is kicking ass in regards to the worldwide gaming market (Neowin / Wired) as well as thwarting pirates (Neowin / DailyTech). Let’s hope both of these areas keep getting better!
Halo 2 for the PC gets delayed because of nude content (Neowin / DailyTech). I agree with the people at Neowin: oh no boobies, but let’s go blow the heads off of people. So, we can get a game that promotes violence, but a game that doesn’t portray the natural human anatomy virtually? WTH? Which is worse? Although, from a business standpoint, I guess they would have to get the game re-rated by the ESRB and other places like that, but hey c’mon Microsoft! Spend some extra billions on your flagship title…you’re not gonna miss ‘em! Heh…tit-le….
Bonus!: Opposable Thumbs is about to go on a magical Hentai adventure: Oh man, I hope this blog/post doesn’t get blammed for words like hentai and tit.
NOTE: News on Apple’s new DRM free music/opinions of it from me are coming later today. I need sleep damnit!
The elves mining Nintendo’s vaults for classic games have unearthed three new ones to add to the Wii Shop Channel. They feature ragers, lasers and, um, monkeys not in cages. Anyway, it’s unlikely that you’ve played all three of these, so go ahead and check ‘em out. Or the elves will cry.
The three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:
Donkey Kong Country 2™: Diddy’s Kong Quest™ (SNES®, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): In the sequel to the immensely popular Donkey Kong Country™, Diddy Kong® gets the spotlight, along with his girlfriend, Dixie Kong™ - a great little monkey with a dangerous ponytail. The action starts on the wreck of King K. Rool’s Gangplank Galleon that has apparently broken up on a reef offshore from the Kremlings’ Island. Diddy and his friends will have to work together to rescue Donkey Kong®, exploring all the hidden areas of the Kremlings’ island: a spooky haunted forest, treacherous swamps, a giant beehive oozing with sticky honey and lava-filled caves, just to name a few.
Streets of Rage™ 2 (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): To celebrate their defeat of the Syndicate exactly one year before, Blaze, Adam and Axel met for drinks. The next morning, Axel received a frantic phone call from Eddie “Skate” Hunter, Adam’s younger brother, whom he was living with on the edge of the city. Blaze and Axel found Adam and Skate’s house wrecked, and a picture showing Adam chained up at the feet of Mr. X. The city then once again returned to its nightmarish state as criminals ran rampant. Unable to contact their old friend in artillery, Axel and Blaze team up with Skate and Max Thunder to free the city and rescue Adam from the Syndicate. It is up to you to take down Mr. X once and for all.
Blazing Lazers (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): Blazing Lazers is a vertical-scrolling shooter that was praised for surpassing the limitations of the hardware of its time. Players control the extraordinary firepower of their Gunhed Star Fighter to take on the Dark Squadron that has begun its invasion of Earth. Collect power-ups to increase your ship’s battle strength so it can cut through enemies and defeat the bosses in all nine areas. Of course, as part of the “Soldier” series, the game contains a good combination of fast-paced speed with catchy, drum-propelled background music, coupled with the Field Thunder that can be used to destroy enemies in one fell swoop for the ultimate sense of satisfaction. With its fine-tuned difficulty levels, Blazing Lazers is a shooting game that anyone can enjoy.
DKC2?! Woohoo! I remember renting this game, and loving it. I have DKL2 for the original GB. Streets of Rage…meh. Blazing Lazers…Blazing Lazers…I KNOW I’ve heard of it from somewhere, but it sounds fun nonetheless. I can’t get enough shooters.
It’s the age-old question: Which is cooler, ninjas or circular yellow dot-eaters? This week the Wii™ video game system’s Wii Shop Channel gives gamers the chance to explore this subject in depth, with three awesome classic games.The three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:
Pac-Man® (NES®, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Move Pac-Man through the maze, avoiding ghosts and eating all the Pac-Dots. Beware, each of the ghosts behave differently. When Pac-Man chomps a Power Pellet, he becomes invincible and is able to eat the blue ghosts. The more ghosts Pac-Man eats in a row, the higher the score. Don’t forget to eat the bonus fruit too. Released in 1980, Pac-Man is the most well-known video game on Earth and is also commonly acknowledged as one of the most successful coin-operated games in history. Enjoy this masterpiece of gaming history today.
Ninja Gaiden™ (NES®, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): Players take on the role of Ryu Hayabusa, a rising warrior in his family’s clan whose main role in the world is to protect the Dark Dragon Blade from falling into the hands of evil. Ryu travels to America to seek vengeance for his father’s death. Players fight their way through 14 challenging side-scrolling levels while defeating gangs of street thugs, battling evil ninjas and fighting barbarian bosses by using the deadly Dragon Sword, ninja skills and Ninpo (ninja magic). Players can run, crouch, jump and climb as they make their way through each stage and collect items to gain points, strength and weapons.
Ninja Spirit (TurboGrafx16, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points): Ninja Spirit is a side-scrolling action game that amazed the gaming world with its precision graphics and quality game play. Play as the ninja Moonlight and engage in a fierce battle to avenge his father’s death and unlock the secrets of his birth. Select between the original ARCADE MODE and PC-ENGINE MODE, which includes a life gauge. Use four types of weapons: katana, shuriken, bombs and chain and sickles to battle your way through the enemies. Pick up power-up items and switch between weapons to give you the advantage. You’ll need to consider the enemy attacks and your weapon’s abilities in order to deftly make it through all seven stages. Use your skills and attacks to get through the game’s boundless enemies and traps. That’s what ninja action is all about.
C’mon…Pac-Man? My Dad loves the game, as do I! We even have that Jakk’s Pacific TV game, which Dad mounted onto a wooden board for an easier way to hold it. I’ve never played Ninja Gaiden, although I’ve heard of it. Ninja Spirit I’ve never even heard of.
I spent a bit of time exploring the first area of the game and getting used to the controls. It took me awhile to get used to the sensitivity. Unfortunately, you do need to move a bit to the left or right on the screen to turn/aim. Having to communicate with friends to get all the extras sounds neat, althought I don’t know how much it will be used. Lastly, my roommate Jim came up behind me and commented on the lack of anti-aliasing, to which I replied, “This isn’t an XBox 360.” He’s used to playing Bioshock on his PC, so I can understand how bad graphics are the first thing he noticed. I noticed less jaggies when I turned down the sharpness on my TV, but they were still noticeable if I stared at it closely enough. Luckily I can’t notice the jaggies with my bad vision from my normal gaming distance from the TV, which is about a foot or so.
