61 Frames Per Second : nintendo power

Watcha Reading: 20 Years of Nintendo Power

Bob Mackey — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:00:00 GMT

Even though my reading habits have made a significant transition to the online world during this decade, I've been a little more aware of gaming magazines since the death of EGM. After all, print publications are what helped me become obsessed with the medium during the first 15-or-so years of my relationship with video games; during those grade school days of yore, I couldn't be seen without a current copy of Nintendo Power open at any possible free moment--just ask all of those horrible, child-hating teachers who confiscated them from me. We can only hope that they're dead now.

So, on my latest trip to Barnes and Noble, I was surprised and delighted to find a special issue of Nintendo Power along with the newest Retro Gamer--the latter of which is actually quite good if you can get around an overdose of Eurocentricity. In an age where no one really seems to care much about video game magazines, it's odd to see a special publication about the history of a video game magazine; but, given the fact that I picked up one of only two copies remaining on the magazine rack, 20 Years of Nintendo Power seems to have hit upon a nostalgic nerve of old-school Nintendo nerds.

The 66-page issue covers various eras of the magazine, from the NES to the Wii—though, to be honest, I’d be fine with a retrospective that only covered Nintendo Power’s early years. Really, this special edition is just a re-telling of Nintendo's history through the pages of Nintendo Power, but it's important to note that's how most of us children of the children of the 80s lived through this history. That being said, 20 Years is a delightful trip down memory lane for those whose old issues are in storage or rotting away in some landfill. It's a tad pricey at $9.99, but the contents are definitely worth the monetary equivalent of a large pizza. Your bowels will thank you.

Related Links:

WTFriday: Play it Loud
Worlds of Power: Books That Worried Your Parents and Pissed Off Your Teachers
The Nintendo Literary Canon

A Boy and His Blob Wiimake?

Cole Stryker — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Imminent Nostalgia Overload Warning!

A Boy and His Blob is being remade for the Wii, published by Way Forward Technologies, according to Wikipedia. Those jerks at Nintendo Power only offer a super pixellated set of screenshots, but it's enough to make my heart soar.

Your gelatinous sidekick, Blobert, can morph into different useful items when you feed him different flavors of jelly beans. What's not to like? For all you youngin's (and I mean that like the guys on HBO's The Wire say it, not like a redneck mother) who haven't played the NES classic, here's a video to fill you in on what you've missed:

Had to include one more tidbit, this wonderfully bizarre line from Wikipedia:

The boy must make use of all of these jelly beans, collect diamonds and treasure, and defeat the final boss on Blobolonia, The Emperor, by using vitamins. The emperor has a sweet tooth to the extent that vitamins are fatal. (emphasis mine)

Related Links:

Watcha Playing: World of Goo

Style Over Substance: Why I'm In Love With WiiWare's "Art Style"

Top Ten Most Terrifying Enemies and Then Five More

The One That Got Away: Arc the Lad

John Constantine — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Romanticizing the pre-internet age of games criticism is common amongst those of us born before 1990. With the presses stopped on Electronic Gaming Monthly, the last survivors of gaming print’s heyday are Gamepro and Nintendo Power. Those magazines still cater to the adolescent audience they always have, but they’ve lost all of their old schlocky appeal. It’s a good thing. Gaming print isn’t dead, and games criticism is slowly but surely emerging from its fandom-based larval form. Yeah the internet’s glutted with drivel, but there’s a lot of substantive, well-written study of the medium happening. *cough*

One thing certainly hasn’t changed. Gamefan may be long dead at this point, but Dave Halverson is still publishing monthly volumes of unabashed fandom in Play. Play, like Gamefan and Gamer’s Republic before it, isn’t really criticism. The magazine doesn’t engage in heady intellectualism like Edge, but it also doesn’t fall into Consumer Reports-style, reviews-and-previews tradition of Gamepro. Halverson’s publications are professionally made ‘zines, literal love letters to the industry they cover. The furor surrounding Halverson’s praise for Golden Axe: Beast Rider a few months back was surprising. The man isn’t a critic. He’s a lover. He publishes The Girls of Gaming, for crying out loud. Despite his flighty editorial mandate, Halverson’s pubs have had a surprisingly lasting impact on North American gaming culture. Today, Treasure is an iconic development studio beloved the world over. Gunstar Heroes wasn’t responsible for that notoriety. It was Gamefan’s constant lionization of the company that birthed the cult of Treasure.

Gamefan was, for me, a message in a bottle. Every single month, I would open an issue and be overwhelmed by bizarre foreign games I would never have a chance to play. And at the back of every issue waited the most cryptic and vexing passages of all: the advertisements for Halverson’s import games shop Game Cave. The ads were four-pages long and littered with miniscule pictures of games accompanied by nothing more than a title. That was where I saw this:

“Arc the Lad – PSX”. What in the hell was Arc the Lad? It had that JRPG look about it, but other than the stumpy characters and the vivid color, there was no way of figuring out what the game even was. It fascinated me. I always kept an eye out for Arc after that. It wasn’t until a few years later, as the JRPG boom took hold in the States that I learned that Arc the Lad was indeed a role-playing series. Since it was a first-party Sony game, and Sony refused to publish most 2D games outside of Japan, I had more than a language barrier standing between me and Arc.

Arc the Lad did eventually come here in 2002. When it did, it represented both the end of the Playstation era and the beginning of Working Designs downfall. It was a lavishly packaged set; cloth map, hard-bound instruction manual, the whole Working Designs shebang. It included the entire Playstation Arc trilogy and a side-game called Arc Arena. I couldn’t have cared less. In 2002, the PS2 library was finally heating up, the Xbox was proving its mettle, and the Gamecube was promising glossy, traditional Nintendo goodness. Sucks to the weird JRPG from 1995! Have you seen this game Maximo? That looks crazy! Eventually the Arc the Lad Collection disappeared from shelves and finding it in decent condition used proved problematic. Over the past seven years, I’ve regretted not picking it up. Arc the Lad, the one that got away.

I finally sat down with Arc in January. As tends to happen with the ones that get away, Arc turned out to not be what I imagined. I expected a traditional JRPG, the usual morass of clichés coated in a typical Working Designs translation (a mix of pop-culture references, glib humor, and stoicism.) What I got was a simple, brief tactical RPG, sort of Duplo blocks to Tactics Ogre’s Lego. The colorful world implied by that night time screenshot wasn’t there. There’s no exploration whatsoever in Arc actually. The world spanning adventure takes place almost entirely on a map as you’re shuffled between single-screen locales for dialogue and dungeons. (The dungeons, in fairness, do have multiple levels.)

I haven’t delved into Arc 2 or 3, yet. My understanding is that they’re far deeper, more interesting games than their progenitor. I may try them out at some point. If nothing else, my long lasting saga with Arc the Lad exemplifies the biggest difference between following videogames during the print and internet eras. Today, Googling a game title will get you billions of words detailing just how the game plays, how long it is, and how it stacks up to every other game ever made. Back when I saw that screen, a whole lot was left to the imagination. It’s a strange thing, following videogames. Sometimes, you like them even more when you don’t play them.

Next time, I’ll close out the White Whale/One That Got Away triptych with The Second Chance: Vagrant Story. See you then, y’all.

Related links:

The White Whale: Terranigma and Ahab Gaming
Where is Victor Ireland?
FMV Hell: Lunar, The Silver Star
Sega CD on iPhone: I Like Where This Is Going

The Death Of Awesome Pack-In Material

Nadia Oxford — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:40:00 GMT

When I was bite-sized, Nintendo games were a rare treat that came to me on just a few days out of the year. It was always an experience, though. From one bright cardboard box you'd recieve a game (of course), a full-colour instruction book that usually included an extensive encyclopedia of enemy characters and items, maps, artwork and, of course, an offer to subscribe to Nintendo Power.

In these modern times, we get skeletal black-and-white instruction pamphlets contracted out to some godforsaken company without a spell-checker. Instead, we learn about games' hazards and inhabitants through extensive in-game tutorials and the developers' websites. Soon, all that will be packed with game discs will be a voice chip that growls, "Go check GameFAQs and feck off fer Chrissake."

In a way, games offer us more frivolous materials than they ever have, but now it's through digital means instead of collectables. I'm not one to get pissy about the march of progress, but sometimes when I open up a new game and see the sparse innards, the '80s brat in me says, "Awwww..."

I always figured developers took to paring pack-in material because the switch to CDs presented a perfect opportunity to save money with packaging as well as in development. Once buyers have accepted shelling out for less product, it's rare for a company to go back to their old ways (my husband never stops moaning about the days when McDonalds' Happy Meals used to come in cardboard boxes and included cookies or an ice cream cone).

Looking at this "Green Gaming" entry on the Wal-Mart gaming blog(!) though, it occurs to me that developers now have the perfect excuse for cutting back on pack-in material. Before, they just got lazy and/or wanted to save money. Now they're out to save the environment like so many Captain Planets. Yes, that was their intention all along! Initiate circle-jerk while gamers smile and nod approvingly. Veering off for a second, I don't know how I feel about being preached at by Wal-Mart. I know a naughty company that needs to clean up its own image and start treating its employees like human beings before going off on environmental crusades.

Of course, less junk is always okay by me. But then again, I never threw out my instruction booklets; I have a stack of them dating back to the NES era. Most of them have been scribbled in or chewed on by the dogs that existed in our household through the ages, but they still endure.

I salute your heroic end for the greater good, Nintendo pack-in junk.

Related Links:

Shiny Entertainment Promo Video is Distilled '90s
Bringing Sexy Back: Retro Controllers of the Future
The Art of Metroid Prime Echoes and Corruption

New Mega Man 9 Trailer: I'm Drowning in My Childhood

Nadia Oxford — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:18:00 GMT

Don't throw me a lifejacket, though. I'm quite happy here.

On its way to gearing up for E3, IGN posted a fresh new Mega Man 9 trailer. For starters, the trailer finally confirms that Mega Man 9 is in fact destined for PSN and XBLA as well as WiiWare. Game news outlets and even series creator Keiji Inafune have been back and forth about this. In a recent interview with GamesRadar, Inafune said "We haven’t announced a XBLA or PSN title yet. Do the fans want them?"

I guess he was playing around, that sly dog. I revere him.

The trailer includes a good deal of gameplay footage. Lots of pits, spikes, and those disappearing-reappearing blocks that used to haunt your childhood nightmares. I know a certain robot dog who will be fitted with his jet upgrade as soon as possible.

What's really thrilling to see make a return are the big colourful animal robots that would block your progress in Mega Man 2 and beyond. A circus elephant with a big red ball will be joining the mechanimal stable, which includes notables like Hot Dog from Mega Man 2, those damnable orange cats from Mega Man 3 and of course, Dragon. You know what game Dragon is from, right? He made you crap your Alf underwear when he first appeared. Don't deny it.

Little bits of the opening story are available in the trailer as well. Looks like Mega Man's dealing with a good ol' fashioned robot rebellion with just the slightest twist of intrigue: Dr Light has been framed for the latest party. Otherwise, as far as I can tell, there's no mysterious new heroes, no angst, no batty Biblical references. Good.

Other characters might be playable, though. Did you happen to spot Roll clinging onto the RushJet for dear life? It's funny because housekeeper robots are supposed to stay in the kitchen! Ha ha!

Castlevania Fighting Game Elicits Anguished Moans From the Living

Nadia Oxford — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Looks like the August issue of Nintendo Power is full of thrills and chills. The news about Mega Man 9 being developed in an 8-bit style brings the thrills, whereas a baffling preview of a Castlevania fighting game for the Wii is bringing the chills.

Not the good kind of chills that you got when you first played Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, mind you. These are the bad, feverish chills with the pained moaning and cold sweat.

When fans heard that a Castlevania game was in production for the Wii, there were all sorts of half-depraved fantasies involving the Wii remote and hot whipping action. The death of a potentially cool idea is only half the reason fans are disgruntled: the other half lies with the character re-designs. Castelvania's popular character designer, Ayami Kojima, is stepping aside this time to make way for none other than Takeshi Obata. Obata is famous for his work on the famous Death Note manga series, which goes a long way to explaining why Simon Belmont looks like (to quote my husband) L dressed Mello's skin-tight leather, appropriate Catholic memorabilia included.

As a hardcore Castlevania fan, I'm not irritated by Konami's latest, uh, decision. I am certainly intrigued, but not as angry as some. There's a general cry in the community of, "We didn't ask for this!" No we didn't, but we didn't ask for a game featuring Mario characters putting around in go-karts, either.

I also look forward to explaining the existence of a Castlevania fighting game to my mother. She hasn't played games since the Super Nintendo era, but she remembers well Castlevania III and I recently took ten minutes to explain to her why Alucard wears high heels now.

Sonic Unleashed Wii: Should Dimps Be Trying Harder?

Nadia Oxford — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Sonic the Hedgehog has the pull of a train wreck: no matter how tired you think you are of his lacklustre 3D adventures, you can't help but take a good long stare whenever one is announced.

Sonic Unleashed, for example, exists only as a handful of screenshots and a couple of trailers, but gamers who insist they're thoroughly tired of the hedgehog are still finding plenty to mouth off about. The August issue of Nintendo Power created a stir with some new screenshots for the Wii version of the game. When compared to the preview material for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions, Sonic Unleashed for the Wii looks very...well, last gen.

Dimps, the company responsible for modern 2D Sonic titles like Sonic Rush Adventure, will be handling the level design for the Playstation 2 and Wii adaptations of Sonic Unleashed. Dimps' track record is pretty excellent; it's co-developing Street Fighter IV and it also developed a game called Rumble Fish (I've never played it, but any reference to S.E. Hinton is a-okay by me). I don't doubt that if Sonic Unleashed turns out decent, it'll turn out decent all across the board. But going by screenshot comparisons, it looks as if Dimps is doing the usual Wii phone-in, which involves one part Playstation 2 port and one part waggle.

This is especially disappointing considering Sonic and the Secret Rings not only looked good, it was developed around the Wii, not hammered into it. The Wii might not have the power of the Playstation 3 or 360, but let's face it, Super Mario Galaxy was not a bad looking game.

Regardless, screenshots tell very little about a game these days. Something that looks unimpressive in still-frame is wholly capable of blowing away the world when in motion. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, anyone?

We'll just have to see how things go.

Related links:

Trailer Review: Sonic Unleashed
The Ten Greatest Opening Levels in Gaming History
Alternate Soundtrack: Sonic the Hedgehog vs. Ratatat

Mega Man 9 Goes Back To Your Roots. Way Back.

Nadia Oxford — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:00:00 GMT

If you grew up playing the Nintendo Entertainment System, then you also grew up with a persistent blue scamp named Mega Man. The adventures of the little boy robot and his red dog take us back to long hours spent in chilled suburban basements, stuffing our gobs with pizza while eluding Dr Wily's robots.

The Mega Man series has given birth to no less than six spin-off series over the past twenty years, taking us far away from those days of greasy control pads and cherry Kool-Aid. The last entry in the original series (as in, numerical sequels without any extra letters attatched to "Mega Man") was Mega Man 8, released over a decade ago. It was no surprise when recent whispers about Mega Man 9 were dismissed as rumour.

But lo, the August issue of Nintendo Power talks to series creator Keiji Inafune about the phantom game, which is a phantom no more. The original Mega Man is back. Literally. Mega Man 9 will feature NES-style graphics and will be available for download on Xbox Live, Playstation Network and as a Wii Ware title.

These are not "NES-style graphics" as in neon-shaded highlights slapped over old sprites that throb obsencely to pumping music. Looking at the screenshots in Nintendo Power will hit you so hard with memories of Mega Man 2, your teeth will rattle.

The simplicity is a pretty big jump back from the lush graphics of Mega Man 8. I mean, nostalgia is awesome, but dayumn.

Still, maybe this is what the gaming world needs. A budget-priced download that will doubtlessly provide at least a few hours of uncomplicated hardcore platforming. I know I'm due for my fix.

Oh, and what's a Mega Man title without its harem of Robot Masters? Mega Man 9's stable reportedly includes: Magma Man, Galaxy Man, Jewel Man, Concrete Man, Hornet Man, Plug Man(!!!!), Tornado Man and Splash Woman(???) .

I don't know what to say about Splash Woman. I guess I wanted to see a female robot master when I was eight years old, but I'm kind of over the gender inequality now. It's a good trade-off for blowing up evil robots.

And the less I speculate about Plug Man, the better.