Posted on 12 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in News, Wii U | 0 comments

– No restrictions on the amount of items you can have in the environment
– “players go wild and add way more objects to the level than they ever could.”
– Objects are now in vector art
– Objects retain their clarity when enlarged or shrunk
– You no longer have to switch between the touch and button controls, since there are two screens

Via NWR

Posted on 12 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in News, Wii U | 0 comments

This comes from a VG247 hands-on preview, and it makes me so excited!

– Brutally difficult
– The “Dark Souls” of zombie games
– Mixes the continuous dread of “Amnesia” with the unforgiving nature of “Dark Souls”
– The cricket bat is a default, unbreakable weapon
– Shotgun in this playthrough started with “only” 30 bullets
– The flashlight is essential in the sewer, but runs out of power quickly
– Takes a while for the flashlight to recharge, during which time the Wii U’s radar screen is useful
– One zombie takes about six “heavy” hits with the cricket bat to kill
– Gunfire attracts more zombies with each successive shot
– Flares can be used to draw them out more slowly
– Limited inventory slots, resource management is crucial
– Safehouses are respawn zones, contain crafting benches and lockers
– When you respawn, you start with a cricket bat, flashlight, and pistol with six rounds
– Upgraded weapons you make won’t be visible on the map when you lose them to zombification, so chances are it’s gone forever
– Wading through water causes you to lift your backpack overhead, leaving you defenseless
– You can leave graffiti messages on walls for other players online
– The graffiti messages aren’t words, but a choice of symbols to try and communicate with friends
– When your survivor dies, there’s a chance he’ll spawn in a friend’s game as well

Via VG247

Posted on 12 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Podcast | 0 comments

Download the Podcast Here

Like I said, two podcasts this week for Wii U stuff. This episode deals with more or less the reactions to the Wii U from outside sources. I get to inform Jack and Laura about everything, get a little angry about IGN comments (like the feature I wrote), and even have a moment of catharsis about whether or not the Wii U is worth the price! Check it all out and stuff.

This Week’s Discussion: “Four Message Board Reasons Why Not To Buy Wii U”

This Week’s “Guess What the Game is About With the Media I Give You”: Image here, if you want to play along.

This Week’s “Top Ten List”: Guess How Many New Powerups Were In Various Mario Games!

Posted on 12 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Wii U | 0 comments

It’s Saturday, which means news is mostly pretty slow! Instead of refreshing the page every fifteen minutes, why not join the forums and take part in a discussion I’m having about the Wii U and stupid things people have said about it? It’s free and maybe even fun!

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Oh me oh my I am supremely upset today. Not about anything substantial, or even about anything that I’d normally get upset over, but simply due to trolls and commenters spewing their nonsense across the vast web of interconnected computers that we call the “Intrawebz”. Instead of brushing this stuff off like I normally do, however, I’d like to take the time to address many of the concerns I’ve read. Some of them semi-valid, most of them absurd, and all of the responses surely filled with far too much distress.

That’s okay though, because every once in a while it is okay to let yourself be angry about silly things. For me, that time is right now. Hit the break to see various arguments against the Wii U, as well as a response to each one designed for maximum catharsis.

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Posted on 12 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Podcast | 0 comments

Posted on 12 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in News, Wii U | 0 comments

A few “details” about the whole Wii U pre-order cutoff situation (and a couple of other things) from my friendly neighborhood Gamestop guy:

– Nintendo sent a company-wide number to Gamestop’s higher ups.
– Once this number is hit, Gamestop stores get a mysterious phone call telling them to quit taking pre orders.
– No word on what the number was.
– 80% of that number was sold yesterday.
– They expected the last 20% to sell-through by noon today, but it went over by a few hours.
– Wii U demo stations should arrive in select Gamestop stores mid to late October.
– There will be demo stations with the Wii U Game Pad and demo stations using a traditional controller.
– I asked whether the “traditional controller” demo stations were Wii U Pro Controller or Wii Remote, he said they aren’t sure yet.

If you’re still trying to preorder today, call your Gamestop before heading out and ask.

How many of you managed to get a preorder in today?

Posted on 12 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in 3DS, Features, Reviews | 0 comments

Platforming Fans: You have a new game to buy. I’m not kidding either.

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MegaMan 2 was a game I grew up on. I never beat it as a kid- it would be ten years until that accomplishment- but I played it more than any other NES title I owned, plowing through the harrowing platforming puzzles, dodging beams of light on FlashMan’s stage, and cursing (as good as any 6 year old could, anyhow) at the frustrating spikes scattered about BubbleMan’s underwater fortress. By age 8 I had beaten every robot master thirty times over, and though I never defeated Wily himself, I got as close as anyone else my age.

I was- and still consider myself to be- a very skilled platformer.

It is with great consideration, then, that I concede (temporary) defeat in front of the latest game I have had the pleasure of reviewing. That game is ‘Fractured Soul’, a dual-screen platformer from the makers of nothing you’ve likely heard of. If you want to know more about the developer, you can read my interview with them here. If you want to know more about my concession to ‘Fractured Soul’?

Simply hit the break and I’ll tell you all about it.

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Posted on 12 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in 3DS, Features, Interviews | 0 comments

The ‘Fractured Soul’ developer talks the development process, frustrations with protecting ideas, and why you should buy their game.

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I hope you guys like interviews (I sure do!), because you’ll be seeing a lot more of them over the coming months. Lined up we have 5th Cell, Junction Point, Broken Rules, and WayForward (tentative), and over the past few months we’ve dealt with n-Space, Renegade Kid’s Jools Watsham, and some writers from Cracked.com (horrible, horrible interview).

Recently I’ve conducted interviews via lists, weird fan-fiction write ups, and as straightforward Q&As. This time I think it’s certifiably appropriate to hit it from the IGN angle: Straightforward Q&A with some splashy fluff and awkward text-ifyings of emotional responses.

Ha ha ha.

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So what’s in store for today? It’s time to get to know the guys behind 3DS’s potential next great platformer, Endgame Studios! A relatively new name to the development scene, they’ve been doing licensed games and dev-for-hire stuff since 2003, but they didn’t foray into independent game design in a serious way until 2005/2006, when the early early concept for ‘Fractured Soul’ came to be. It’s been a long development cycle, but we’re finally nearing its September 13th release date and many people are looking for a reason to pick it up.

So I started with that.

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Posted on 12 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

“I don’t find any lack of creativity in the game makers, but there is a lack of creativity in the game buyers. I think developers would like to make a wide range of interesting games, but they are difficult to sell, so they don’t get made. So it is a problem of economics. The question really becomes how to open up video gaming to a wider audience. Nintendo works on this question 24/7. Playstation and Xbox have little incentive to do that. The frontier right now is phones and tablets, but once again it comes down to the buyers.” – Rodney Greenblat, Parappa the Rapper/Major Minor’s Majestic March designer

I can’t tell you how long I’ve been saying this! There’s a very very good reason I stick with Nintendo consoles primarily, and it really comes down to who is being the most creative. I’d much rather have unique and interesting games that are mediocre than a bunch of great games that are monotone and uncreative!

He finished…

“What are people willing to pay for a game on a phone or tablet? Will these fees generate enough income for the publishers and developers? I hope so.”

Via VG247

Posted on 12 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in News, Wii U | 1 Comment

Update: Austin posted a few more New Super Mario Bros. U details earlier today, but we’re bumping this post to the front page with even more information.

– Three Yoshi variations
– Pink Yoshi: inflated with a GamePad/Wiimote shake
– This can take Mario even higher than the flying suit can
– Pink Yoshis don’t help in horizontal movement
– Large surface area useful for collecting a bunch of airborne coins
– Gold Yoshi: shake the controller to light up the immediate area
– Also stuns nearby enemies
– Gold Yoshis show up in the Fire Snake Caverns
– Blue Yoshi: can shoot bubbles
– Can ride the adult version of Yoshi in numerous levels
– Yoshi can still eat fruit
– Collect five to fill a meter
– This rewards Yoshi’s rider with a power-up
– Camera pans out a bit in co-op
– This helps you see hidden star coins and pipes that you normally wouldn’t come across in single-player
– Boost Mode: Place up to four floating platforms at a time
– Use the GamePad touch screen in Boost Mode to pop friends out of bubbles, stun enemies, make it easier to reach the flagpole, manipulate environmental objects, swat Paratroopas
– Turn on Boost Mode by powering up the GamePad – that’s it
– Players will go through pre-selected packs of levels in Boost Rush Mode
– Collecting coins makes the auto-scroll faster
– Limited amount of lives given at the start of each pack
– Dying doesn’t reset the clock

Original details from earlier today

– Does not break from the large map to zoom in on areas like Cookie Dome/Forest of Illusion; that was a reference to a Super Mario World feature
– Cookie Dome and Forest of Illusion do not appear to be worlds in NSMBU
– Confirmed areas: Acorn Plains, Sparkling Waters, Frosted Glacier, Layer Cake Desert (with melting desserts all around!), an area similar to Forest of Illusion, an area similar to SMB3’s Sky World, an area surrounded by a giant tornado, Fire Snake Caverns (unsure if this is a level name or a world name)
– Confirmed powerups: Super Mushroom, Starman, Fire Flower, Ice Flower, Mini Mushroom, Super Acorn
– Running up walls a la Super Mario World is back- but only if you’re mini Mario

Via GameInformer