Yes, I know that E3 ended a few weeks ago so writing about it this year’s show would be a bit irrelevant. That’s why I’m going to be REALLY irrelevant and take a look back at the last sixteen years of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, focusing specifically on all the games and hardware shown off by Nintendo. So let’s pretend that Pluto is still a planet and that Sonic is still popular as we travel back in time to the mid 90’s…

What do YOU think? Nintendo’s Press Conference

Posted on 14 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features | 14 Comments

Hey, guys! Another long day of news, am I right? Well, I’ve been hard a work on this article for you to read over, and it covers just about everything you’d need to know about Nintendo’s E3 if you missed it! Feel free to skip around to the games you’re interested in to see my thoughts on them, and be sure to toss a comment or two in at the end so I know what you all think of what I think!

3DS mock-up image, unconfirmed details

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Reviews | 9 Comments

The image above is based on a drawing created by a Chinese blogger who says he has a 3DS development kit. There are also a number of unconfirmed details about the system, which we’ve posted below.

– 3D camera
– Differently-designed screens
– The blogger says “the effect of the [3D] screen is amazing.”
– MP3/AAC hardware decode function
– Media player
– Will have a second, proprietary medium for 3DS games
– 3DS titles will fit on a card similar in size to a Compact Flash card
– May be able to put in 3DS and DS games in the same slot
– Might not have an analog stick
– Possible tilt sensor/accelerometer
– Might be as powerful as the Wii

Original drawing from the Chinese blogger below:

You know, I really can’t wait until the 3DS is shown on Tuesday. All of the speculation and mock-ups are driving me crazy!

Source

Monster Hunter Tri review

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Reviews, Wii | 9 Comments

Game Info:

System: Nintendo Wii
Category: RPG
Players: 1-2 (offline), 1-4 (over wi-fi)
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom

Monster Hunter Tri is the latest game in Capcom’s Monster Hunter franchise, a series of RPGs that have never really taken off outside of Japan. Well known for multiplayer co-op allowing for up to four adventurers to team up and take down colossal foes, the series now finds itself on the Wii —a system often criticised for its approach to online play. Is Tri the series’ best game to date or is there still something that has been lost in translation?

There’s really no plot to the game. In the single player mode, you’re a wannabe adventurer who is asked to save a small seaside village from a massive leviathan lurking in nearby waters. The storyline only really serves to add new gameplay elements, which is fine by me. After the first few tutorial missions, you can start opening up new missions courtesy of the Hunter’s Guild. Over time, more areas open up, and you can gain access to things like a farm providing you will common (but useful) items and ingredients, a shipping fleet offering to trade commodities and a cat-run canteen that serves up meals which grant temporary stat boosts and abilities. A few quests in, your lonely hunter is joined by Cha-Cha, this weird masked midget who serves as a constant companion both in and outside of quests. He can help gather resources, learn different techniques from different masks and, most importantly, act as a diversion for drawing monsters’ attention.

What do YOU think? Gaming at the cabin…

Posted on 14 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features | 2 Comments

Surprise mid-day Thursday article! Threw you for a loop, didn’t I?

If you’re like me and you’re going to be heading up to a cabin this summer, chances are you’ll be bringing along some sort of portable gaming device. Now, I know a lot of you might be a little more into the natural beauty of a cabin on the lake (and don’t get me wrong, I am too!), but sometimes I feel like there’s no better way to relax than getting a good game, sitting out on a lake, and playing a little bit of Picross or Chrono Trigger. So, in honor of the fact that I will be gone all weekend at my cabin, here’s a list of the 4 games I will be playing/would like to play while at a cabin out on a lake.

Top 3 Nintendo franchises that need Wii updates

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Features | 22 Comments

I think that both Nintendo fans and non-fans alike can agree on one undeniable truth—Mario and co. comprise a company that loves its franchises. Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, Pokémon—even Super Smash Bros. has become a franchise in its own right after all these years. And while it can’t be argued that fans don’t enjoy these series, it certainly can be asserted that Nintendo is perhaps a little too reliant on too few franchises. With the advent of the Wii three and a half years ago, we fans were expecting a huge influx of next-gen updates to our favorite games, but the disappointing thing (at least to this gamer) was that only a few series received those updates, a la Twilight Princess, Brawl, and Galaxy (even Galaxy 2 now—doesn’t Mario ever take a vacation that isn’t interrupted by nasty goo?).

So here’s my proposition, Miyamoto: Give these franchises a second look.

The greatest bad games ever: Monster Hunter Tri

Posted on 14 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features | 23 Comments

Most frustratingest game ever?

I really don’t understand Monster Hunter Tri at all. Everything that makes logical sense about the game says that it should not be good: The controls are archaic, 80% of it is grinding, the single player has a lackluster story, it’s unbearably frustrating, and it sucks up hours upon hours of your time to make any sort of significant progress in the game. Regardless, I have fallen so far in love with the game that I have spent all of my spare time playing it. I didn’t have a feature up yesterday. Any idea why? Yes, it was Monster Hunter’s fault. When I’m that addicted to a game, usually I can track the reasons why I love it. Zelda games, for instance, have fantastic gameplay, great atmosphere, and awesome level design. But Monster Hunter doesn’t have very much going for it, yet, for some reason I can tell it is going to be a game I clock well over 100 hours into. It really is the greatest bad game I have ever played.

Criminally overlooked Nintendo soundtracks

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Features | 14 Comments

I don’t think there’s a single gaming website on the whole internet that hasn’t written a feature on the best game music. Usually it’s the same old songs from the same old games —Zelda, Super Mario Bros, Mega Man, Parappa the Rapper…. Yes, I know just as well as anyone that the Moon theme from DuckTales is one of the greatest things ever, but I wanted to take this time to draw attention to some of the more overlooked game soundtracks.

Interview with Renegade Kid

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, Features, Wii | 7 Comments

Renegade Kid has created some of the most impressive games for the DS since the company was established in 2007. And just a few days ago, their third title for the handheld – Dementium II – made its way onto stores shelves. Renegade Kid owner and director Jools Watsham recently took some time to answer a few questions for us about his latest game and discussed other topics, which included the possibility of developing for Wii and his thoughts about the 3DS.

Nintendo Everything: Your most recent game, Dementium II, was just released last week and it looks like hands-down the scariest game on the DS system. What was the greatest challenge for actually bringing a tense, scary feel to players on a handheld system?

Jools Watsham: I think the most important thing, and one of the most difficult, is to create an authentically creepy atmosphere. We also pushed ourselves to produce a ton more variety in environments and enemies, which took a tremendous amount of work.

NE: Another thing that’s terrifying about Dementium II is the boxart – Who came up with such an awesome illustration?

JW: I agree, I think it is fantastic. This is very unglamorous, but SouthPeak hired a talented design company who came up with it. I expect SouthPeak’s PR Queen, Aubrey Norris, had something to do with it. 🙂 The image was sent to me one day and I was just blown away. I immediately thought it looked incredible, and I felt honored to have such a wonderfully disturbing image for our game.

Gaming love letters: Fragile Dreams

Posted on 14 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features | 3 Comments

Warning: This article contains intense, intense spoilers regarding the game Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon. If you intend to play the game, or simply have not played it yet, I highly recommend skipping the article altogether.

Preface: I’m not sure my feelings about Fragile Dreams really translated all that well in my review of the game for one reason or another, and I feel the need to really get this all out on paper. I realize it’s a very long read, but I hope some of you enjoy it and agree/disagree with me. If you do, be sure to let me know in the comments section!