AndrewTS

Mortal Kombat Gundam

Save for multiplayer, they actually did (the GBA title, also by Ubi M): I didn't even know about the console game until like a week before it came out. It's solid visually and control-wise, but the strict adherence to telling the movie story (effectively cutting out multiplayer) and probably a short development schedule weren't kind to the ultimate product. Depends on how much the suits are willing to invest in a quality product. I think the key part in this title, genre aside, being worth a damn is whether it's going to be rushed or not. Granted, getting GameArts to make a Smash Bros. clone is an interesting distinction.

Agreed.

Clearly you have upmost confidence here. The problems of the Wii have little to do with the graphic capabilities. Also, I'm less concerned with what this is than I am what it could have been. It's as much of a disappointment as Wii finally getting a Castlevania and...it's a fighting game. Or Wii getting a Soul Calibur game...and it's a shitty action game. Aww, that's adorable! You actually think Wii motion controls work that way. Sorry, they don't. The pointer works. Slow, deliberate motion control works. Any sort of fast, repeated motion controls do not work well at all without repeated flailing to get something to register. That's the whole reason for mocking "waggling." I'm using TN for quick shorthand. Also, I'm sure after leaving Tecmo that they're dying to expand their creative horizons by making a licensed Smash clone! Come on, this is just a paycheck for them and it's a concept handed down by committee, that's all. Jump Superstars: Not sure of LTD, but 220K in the first week in Japan (fastest selling DS game ever in JPN until Animal Crossing). It also was a big import title, even as far as getting copies of the Japanese title (unchanged mind you) released in Best Buy stores here in North America. Of course, you're talking about a Shonen Jump licensed project, headlined by characters from Naruto, DBZ, One Piece, etc. and it got a very positive critical reception. The only reason it didn't come out here is the licensing issues. Slap Naruto in anything and you're pretty much guaranteed sales anyway. I don't know about Jump Ultimate Stars (the sequel), but it's safe to say it did well. TMNT today ain't no Shonen Jump.

Way to miss the entire point. Parish is a longtime hardcore Nintendo supporter and was actually pushing for Miyamoto and co. to bundle Wii Sports as a pack-in game for the US market. Now, he isn't necessarily the reason they did it, but he's "gotten" Nintendo's Blue Ocean strategy and has defended it many times versus his own colleagues. Yet he's even getting disillusioned. Sin and Punishment 2 is a sequel to a huge bomb. Good game probably, but it's not going to make much of an impact. Punch Out needs Wii Motion Plus, or it will be just as big a POS at Wii Boxing. The rest of the titles you mentioned I haven't mustered enough care about to even know they exist.

Failure #1. Stop. Explain. Fighting games in general are not huge sellers these days, and even the ones with name value are relatively niche (VF5 anyone? MK vs. DC fell below expectations even with tons of marketing and DC characters). As I've noted, Smash Bros clone does not = insta money. Where'd you pull this bullshit from? TMNT is more of a game franchise than anything else to me. The basic idea is not that ridiculous (the Turtles fighting), but the actual concept at work here is a bit more baffling (a Smash-style title which doesn't really lend itself well to the combat style). However, please make a ranting all-caps strawman piece of shit paragraph, that's much better than actually making a coherent statement. Are you making the argument that making a game for Wii over another system is a matter of playability over graphics? Because if so, you are a fucking idiot. Sure, playing an action or fighting game with jacking-off motions makes great sense. It's a waste of Team Ninja. If they have GameArts on board I don't even see why they'd bother using TN. If you're enlisting Team Ninja, then why not use them for what they're best at, especially if the title you're making lends itself well to an action game? Also, Nintendo as developer + Nintendo characters. And the clones being crap.

I picked up the game and fear it will end up being in backlog like so many other RPGs I have to finish. Is there any particular reason I should play Persona 3 first or no?

Is HOME still a killer app? There were tardburgers pegging it as such years ago.

Ok, imagine you're Ubisoft. You have this TMNT license (which in the right hands is bleepin' golden). You enlist the creative efforts of some Team Ninja ex-staffers (known for 2 of the greatest action games ever, and a decent fighter series starring giant breasts), and GameArts (best known for RPGs like the Lunar games, and recently ninja-developing Smash Bros Brawl.) to work on your new game. Do you make: a) A turn-based RPG featuring over the top gore and giant breasts? b) A wicked 3D action game with co-op multiplayer and gorgeous art design? c) A one-on-one 3D fighter with many anime overtones (with giant breasts)? d) A lame ass Smash Bros clone. On the Wii. e) If you prefer any other option than b and *maybe* a, I want to punch you in the fucking face. Well, if you're Ubisoft, you picked d. Meaning there's an Ubi exec somewhere I want to pu--nay, take a hockey stick to. http://kotaku.com/5107095/ex+team-ninja-an...fighter-for-wii (pause for laughter on the online play) Maybe I'm missing the logic, but I fail to see why the TN guys would be well utilized at all. I mean, they worked in a fighting game series, but we know the primary reason(s) for its success (it has nice gameplay, of course). Also, when has a TMNT fighter been anything more than a above-mediocre concept for a game? Tournament Fighters was ok, but that was a long time ago when any TMNT game would sell. Mutant Melee was garbage: http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/...tmntmutantmelee Also, I thought we've gotten to the point where developers should realize that cloning Smash Bros does not a hit game make. See: Dream Mix TV, Viewtiful Joe Red Hot Rumble, Evangelion Battle Orchestra, or any number of other half-assed ripoffs. After the conceptually-solid but buggy mess that was the TMNT console game (and the awesomeness of the GBA title), I'd have hoped if anyone would go back to this well they'd realize a well-crafted action/beat 'em up game from experienced developers would be the way to go. (also, to fill my quota: Fuck Nintendo and the Wii)

I played the demo. I think it kind of sucks.

I've pretty much had TSM "on ignore" anyway. I feel sorry for perhaps-not-participating. It's not your fault the Wii sucks so hard these days, Thoth. However, potentially scalping a soccer mom for a console that's been mainly collecting dust for 8 months seems more worthwhile to me at this cash-strapped point than waiting for Mad World...and then whenever the next game I give a crap about comes out (No More Heroes 2?). I don't even know when that'll be. Even 1up's Jeremy Parish is annoyed at how the Wii has been lately: http://www.gamespite.net/verbalspew/archiv...y_1025.php#comm (Yeah, it isn't the focus of the article, but still. ) But...hey...Dragon Quest X! Maybe in 3 years or so when it comes out there might be a whopping 5 more new retail games worth playing on the Wii!

Both. It's a relatively simple fighter, but the controls aren't nearly as good as a Tekken or VF. If you're not looking to pull off complex combos, the controls are serviceable. Cheapest I've ever seen it. I'd say so, but I enjoy playing nearly any fighter vs. friends. I'd say play on stages without free-fall combat, because those are screwy. However, RAGE is totally broke, and I hate it.

I have FES. I haven't even gotten a chance to open it. =/

I may take part, I'm just undecided at this point whether or not my Wii is going up on Ebay (it's less an anti-Nintendo thing than a I'm-freakin'-broke thing). Taking part may help my grinchiness.

Based on some impressions on another message board I frequent, Sonic Unleashed may actually be a pretty good game. On 360. Anyone here rent it/play it?

A general obsession with youthful beauty to the extreme, for example: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChristmasCake You could also google up "compensated dating" and "buru sera" if you want. Or just go to Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolicon Oh, there's also this (NSFW): http://legal.3yen.com/2005-07-27/is-the-ag...apan-really-13/ I guess to sum it up: Japan is pretty fucked up in the way they treat girls/women. I'd say Maria is more moe than loli (she's clearly older than her Rondo appearances), but she seems brain damaged compared to her SOTN version, who was still only 17. The entendres are still creepy, though. Anyway, the gameplay is decent enough, but it looks like ass and this is really the worst time I could think of to release an average title like this, especially on the North America side (although Wii only owners may be a bit more forgiving). My next new game purchase will be Prince of Persia, but if I didn't have that option, I'd take this over f'n Wii Music any day.

I rented Castlevania Judgment. Ok, first off, if you'd want to cram this game into any mold at all, I guess Power Stone would be closest, but that doesn't necessary make it worthy in and of itself. Unsurprisingly, there's basically one move list, just with different attacks and attributes per character. There's a basic attack, which can be spammed into a combo; a "special attack", an unblockable attack, subweapons and a few signature attacks. There's not really a traditional throw, but some special attacks may function as one (but are still blockable). There's only one block, so obviously any close up footgames or high/low mixups are out of the question. You do have a standard attack, your specials, and unblockables. Evading seems to be the best defense option overall, because you can be guard-crushed with repeated attacks, and your unblockable (which is executed by hitting attack from a guard), would seem a natural way to counter, except it's very slow and usually leaves you open to being attacked. There doesn't seem to be much of a way to mount an effective counterattack from a guard as a result. Fortunately there's a Japanese voice option, because the voice acting is one the horrible examples of voice acting I've ever seen in any Castlevania-related project, ever. Die English dub, you don't belong in this world! Level design, is unfortunately, pretty weak. There are some nice touches like environmental hazards (zombies popping up, poison and lava pools, ring outs), but mostly you're looking at flat, boring stages with flat boring textures. Naturally, I don't think there's anything here that couldn't have been on PS2. Also, there's visual glitches like textures on a barrel/rock appearing IN FRONT of a character model that's standing in front of the item. Also, yes, the camera is pretty crappy. Obviously a constant side view isn't going to work for this sort of game. However, the game could really do a better job of not having a character appear behind a character in the foreground, no matter what. Power Stone's character models were never so up in your face as Judgment sometimes has theirs, and it would more often employ slightly elevated views of the battlefield. The story mode starts with only Al and Simon selectable, and you unlock more as you play. So far I've played through Al's and Maria's (the former I unlocked by beating Al's). It's pretty much a series of one on one battles with cutscenes between them. Often ridiculous cutscenes. Ridiculous and embarrassing cutscenes like Maria being obviously envious of Sypha's breasts and gawking at them ("they're sacred gifts!"). BTW, Maria is moé. Really moé. REALLY REALLY moé. She has a voice high enough to shatter glass, face faults, giggles, nani?s, and her *standard attack* involves her clumsily swinging around from her flying owl staff, which is actually pretty hard to control effectively because of it. A nice touch is the hyper attack, which is pretty much what you'd expect if you've played any number of licensed fighters like the Naruto or DBZ games--an overpowered canned attack animation that can eat 30-40%+ of your life. It's easily whiffable and blockable, though, so if you mind your opponent's hyper bar it shouldn't be too big a deal. Although the damage can vary quite a bit. Alucard does about 50%, and Simon does like 65%-70%! Castle Mode is almost ripped off wholesale completely from Soul Calibur. You battle a series of baddies or other characters, often with handicaps, and try to make your way to the next boss/savepoint and eventually to Dracula. Along the way you can unlock accessories to customize your appearance. You can't save/heal after every battle without going to the last savepoint, which sometimes results in you getting surprise-attacked by a group of baddies. Adds a nice twist to an unoriginal but solid gameplay mode. Music is alright but it's also pretty much just there. It's good but most of it seems to be directly ripped from older games without much change or remixing. So it seems rather flat out doesn't really jump out as dynamically as it could/should. Overall seems like a decent enough rental or budget pick up if you're really bored and like Castlevania, but it really looks long in the tooth compared to most other games and certainly fighters available right now (except for on Wii, of course). There's lots of Maria creepiness, mainly for larfs I guess: Maria's story mode cutscenes (but beware, English dub!): And no clip, but from Eric's storyline: Maria to Eric: "Wow, what a huge lance!"

I didn't get the glowing blue yesterday, and was curious why. For some reason it didn't hit my Wii until today. Strangely enough, they even basically tell you the update will remove hacked TP saves.

I'm really surprised they didn't try to tie Twilight into this ep, although that could have been the inspiration.

Damn straight.

I d/led it too. Thanks for the heads up. I still have Live Gold until Dec 2.

Cleared the campaign and had a blast. I'll be replaying speed runs and time trials for fun, though. I am glad to see that you don't have to make an EA account, just if you want to upload your times to the leaderboards. If you choose to "create account" without entering info, and cancel, it'll allow you to enter the offline stage selection list.

Of course Anya bought it. She has way too much money, love of bad fighters, and love of spiting MK to avoid it! She's been freaking out at how dumb the cutscenes, plot and controls are. However, she says that Joker is the most entertaining part of the game, and when he hears about Shao Khan, he does the

To quote 1up's Jeremy Parish, "Region Lockouts are the industry's way of saying they don't understand the internet age." I want to see Captain Rainbow released here, if for no other reason than to get Christian Fundies ticked off. OMG TEH GAY AGENDA!!~~~ You could enjoy the stupid exercise game, the stupid music game, or the worst Wario platform game aside from Master of Disguise!! There's always a plethora of shitty shovelware, too! Srsly, though, there's actually some promising titles shipping today (according to the not-always-reliable GameFAQs): Tomb Raider Underworld ships today, and Sonic Unleashed might be half-good (as in, there's no hope at all for the awful werehog segments, but the rest might be playable). Castlevania Judgment's character designs are horribly offensive to me but I may rent when it comes to my local Hollywood Video.

Ya, because most of Gamestop's profit comes from used accessory sales. Give that man a prize!! I think it's awesome that NOA is working so hard to keep the Wii library pathetically limited. Keep up the good work!