Tuesday, July 14, 2009
The Top 1 Nintendo DS Games according to the IGN team
1. New Super Mario Bros.
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Release Date: May 19, 2006
Everything old is new again. For all the advancements made in technology, for all the possibilities for innovation on Nintendo's latest handheld, and for all the praise we've just spent 24 past pages offering to those games who've pursued those avenues the final salute has to go to one of the simplest designs of all. The best game on the Nintendo DS doesn't make use of the WiFi Connection. It doesn't do anything drastic with the two separate screens. It doesn't make much use of the touch capability at all, and all of that is because it just doesn't have to -- New Super Mario Bros. is compelling and fun on the strength of its gameplay and the power of nostalgia alone.
By the time it was released in the Spring of 2006, it had been almost 15 years since the last most recent Mario side-scroller had come to a Nintendo system. There had been plenty of spin-offs in that decade and a half, and lots of 3D adventures keeping the plumber in play -- but good old 2D action with Mario had been a dormant idea since Super Mario World.
With this rebirth, Shigeru Miyamoto and team returned the hero to his roots. Running to the right of the screen, stomping Goombas, saving the princess -- it was all there, exactly as you'd expect, and feeling just right. But the designers in charge made sure the "New" descriptor made sense too, by adding in such fresh elements as the Mega and Mini Mushroom power-ups, the Blue Shell our hero could don to gain a new spinning attack move, new-to-2D acrobatic maneuvers like wall-jumping and more.
Playing New Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo DS made us all feel young again, and the design was done so well that many fans have gone on record to declare it their favorite Mario platformer ever. That's high praise indeed, and it's the level of praise you'd expect from the game being awarded the #1 spot at the conclusion of our countdown.
Now that all 25 of our picks have been revealed, what's your final word? Did we get it right, or wrong? What games did we ignore that we shouldn't have? Are you even now making plans to let the air out of Fran's tires because Phoenix Wright wasn't mentioned once until this very sentence?
PSPgo Preorders Begin
July 7, 2009 - If you're like the IGN PlayStation Team, you've got a big red circle around Oct. 1, 2009 -- the launch date of the PSPgo -- on your calendar. Well, if you don't feel like hitting up an electronics store at 12:01 a.m., Amazon.com has begun selling preorders for both the black and white versions of the PSPgo. Oddly, as of the writing of this article, the white PSPgo is priced at $249.99 while the black PSPgo is for sale with a $248.99 price tag. Other than that, everything looks kosher for the UMD-less system's launch.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Bungie Won't Stop Teasing
The date 04/09/09 carries some special significance in the world of Bungie and Halo. What that significance is, we don't know for sure. At the end of its weekly update, Bungie added the sly little note, "P.S. 04/09/09."
If I were a betting man, I'd put that as the previously unannounced release date for the Mythic Map Pack. This newest set of maps is thus far only available to those who purchase the Limited Edition of Halo Wars, though Bungie has promised to make it available for sale through the Xbox Live Marketplace eventually. But who knows? Maybe we'll get some new info on Halo 3: ODST that day. Leave your guesses as to what the date means in the comments below.
PS3, PSP Top Japan
Sony continued its dominance over in Japan this past week, topping Media Create's hardware and software charts.
For the week covering March 9 through March 15, PS3 topped the software chart once again, now the third week in a row. Koei did the honors this time, with the newly released Warriors Orochi Z selling 112,283 units, but continued sales of Yakuza 3 and Resident Evil 5 gave the system three top 10 placers.
The full top 10 is as follows:
- 1. Warriors Orochi Z (Koei, PS3): 112,283
- 2. Resident Evil 5 (Capcom, PS3): 61,483
- 3. 3D Picross (Nintendo, DS): 38,056
- 4. Mario & Luigi RPG 3!!! (Nintendo, DS): 37,907
- 5. Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce (Koei, PSP): 33,255
- 6. New Play Control Pikmin 2 (Nintendo, Wii): 28,706
- 7. Yakuza 3 (Sega, PS3): 23,815
- 8. Seventh Dragon (Sega, DS): 22,341
- 9. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G PSP the Best (Capcom, PSP): 16,209
- 10. Resistance (Sony, PSP): 15,651
PSP topped the hardware charts for the second week in a row, presumably fueled by continued sales of the recent batch of colors. PS3 managed to hold its own as well, topping the console pack and also beating the DSi.
The full hardware chart is as follows, with last week's sales in parentheses.
- PSP: 43,463 (59,568)
- PS3: 28,014 (39,835)
- DSi: 27,564 (32,102)
- Wii: 17,941 (16,560)
- DS Lite: 11,571 (11,240)
- X360: 8,378 (14,994)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Pangya: Fantasy Golf is on the Way
The PSP has seen its fair share of golf games. Previously, the Hot Shots series has had a big presence on Sony's portable and gave gamers-on-the-go a great avenue for playing some casual-friendly golf in a light-hearted environment. But another name in golf is making its way to the PSP: Pangya. TOMY Corporation is bringing Pangya: Fantasy Golf, the popular Korean golf experience from Ntreev Soft, exclusively to the PSP this summer. The game features beautiful fantasy-themed courses, 18 characters and tons of customization. As if thousands of character options aren't cool enough, Pangya will also feature a story mode for each character! Now that's style.
Considering how new the Pangya franchise is to the U.S. market, we sent in some questions to Mike Jones at TOMY Corporation so we could find out more about this unique, fantastical golf experience. Ah, the beauty of anime sports!
IGN: Hello! Thanks for taking the time to do this Q & A with us. Tell us who you are and what your role is on the Pangya project.
Mike Jones: My name is Mike Jones and I'm the Associate Producer at TOMY handling the U.S. version of Pangya: Fantasy Golf.
IGN: For gamers unfamiliar with the Pangya franchise (as it's mainly popular in Korea), tell us a little bit about this PSP iteration.
Mike Jones: To give a little background, Pangya was developed in Korea by a company named Ntreev Soft. It became popular in Asia as an online MMO-esque golf competition game where you create your character and customize its clothes and equipment and try to increase your stats over time by playing in tournaments, etc. So it has a lot of the same addictive qualities as an RPG, but it's golf!
Now that Pangya has gained some global recognition, Ntreev Soft wanted to bring its concept to the PSP and we thought the game was so cool, we wanted to help. So Ntreev has been working on a completely new iteration of Pangya that has been engineered specifically for the PSP -- it's not a port or a re-release of old content. This game is totally unique to the portable.
Mike Jones: The basic golf mechanics are similar to what most of the golf-gaming crowd are used to: power/accuracy gauge, ball contact point adjustment, different ground types and obstacles. And all that stuff feels extremely polished. But what's interesting about Pangya is that it's also a fantasy game. So there are a lot of new twists on typical golf gameplay. You have power ups, items, special shots like the "Tomohawk" and all the equipment management you can do to get different advantages in different situations. Pangya has a solid foundation of basic golf mechanics as well as a lot of fresh new features to sink your teeth into.
IGN: Will this game appeal to a casual crowd or more hardcore players?
Mike Jones: I think there's a lot of lip service out there about games appealing to "everyone" that isn't always accurate. But I think Pangya straddles the gap pretty well. Like I said there is a solid, polished foundation of golf mechanics that are easy and intuitive for anyone to learn. So if you like golf or pretty graphics or just a fun game to play, Pangya is exactly that.
But for the more hardcore crowd, there's a ton of depth hidden beneath those core mechanics. There are eight storylines, 18 characters, 1300+ costumes, items and equipment sets as well as all the other gameplay mechanics (like special shots) that you can master. So depending on how you like to play, you can keep it light-weight and fun or go super in-depth to complete all the tournaments and story modes and collect all the equipment in the game, not to mention the multiplayer competition as well. Mike Jones: Well, there are eight main characters. The other 10 characters appear throughout the story but are more side-characters, like caddies or some of the "bad guys." But all of them are unlockable as playable characters and have different attributes and skill distributions to start with. All of the characters look really unique and range from humans to fairies to dragons and more!
IGN: It sounds like customization plays a huge role in Pangya. How involved is it and how many options do players have in tweaking their characters?
Mike Jones: There are basically two categories that all the customization falls into: cosmetic and functional. Stuff like hair dye, shoes, hats and special costume sets just affect your character's outward appearance. Sometimes they add extra benefits like earning more money in tournaments, or temporarily increasing your stats, but for the most part it's cosmetic. Then there's all the functional equipment: club sets, balls, rings, items, etc. that can be used to adjust your stats. The strategy for sort of "choosing your equipment before battle" can get really detailed depending on what your objective might be. Players can go as lightweight or as in-depth with this as they want.
Mike Jones: There are eight main characters all with a unique storyline. There are two available from the very start and as you play through each of the characters' stories you'll unlock the other characters and their respective story modes. Basically, the game takes place in an alternate dimension where "Pangya" is an age-old tradition that is similar to Earth's "golf." There's a lot to do with life energy and their world being at risk and bad guys wanting to use all that energy for bad stuff, but I'll let you guys play the game to get all the details. (laughs)
IGN: Sounds intense! Tell us about Pangya's multiplayer components.
Mike Jones: Pangya: Fantasy Golf supports eight-player multiplayer via ad hoc wireless connections. You can play in singles or team tournaments. And on top of that, playing multiplayer will reward you with money to get more equipment and customizable stuff. So there's more incentive to compete with your friends.
IGN: Some gamers draw similarities between the Pangya franchise and the Hot Shots series. What makes Pangya stand apart from its peers?
Mike Jones: Well, Pangya really is all about the fantasy look/feel and all the customization. Both Hot Shots and Pangya are "best-in-class" golf games, but Pangya offers a unique look, deep customization and new gameplay elements that we think are pretty fresh for this particular genre.
IGN: When is Pangya due out?
Mike Jones: Summer 2009. We haven't set the exact release date yet, but we'll keep you posted.
IGN: Cool. So what's one more thing PSP owners need to know about Pangya -- besides the fact that they need to buy it?
Mike Jones: Pangya is a polished golf game with pretty visuals, cool characters and tons of RPG elements and customization that add depth to the gameplay. So if any of that sounds appealing to you, we hope you'll check it out and like it as much as we do.
IGN: Thanks Mike!
source: IGN.COM
Suikoden Tierkreis Review
The Nintendo DS has been on one hell of a hot streak thus far in 2009. While Wii continues to have a decent – but fairly light – sprinkling of titles over the first three months, DS already has a few serious Game of the Year contenders. Today alone we're seeing three titles hitting shelves that all score in the upper echelon, awarded with Editor's Choice awards and sitting not only at the top of this year's list, but overall in their own respective genres. How did Konami compete with Rockstar's GTA or EA's Henry Hatsworth? Well, launching a spin-off to one of the biggest RPG franchises in the world is a good start…
For starters though, it's absolutely worth mentioning to fans of the franchise that Suikoden Tierkreis is an otherworld spin-off of its original inspiration. This isn't the same series that got its start on the original PSX, you won't find duels, massive army vs. army battles, any returning characters, or a very mature story. What you will get, however, is still an awesome role-playing experience on DS, and one that fits the system very well.
Suikoden Tierkreis makes some serious changes from the original series, but despite any differences hardcore fans (myself included) will notice, Suikoden is a great DS RPG. The idea of 108 playable characters returns, though this time around there's a huge emphasis on anime culture, so you get overly-obvious good/bad characters, lots of in-game animated cinema, lots of over-the-top voice acting, and a story that's pretty spelled out for younger gamers, as well as those that frequent every Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest game on the system. It's the Suikoden philosophy and design, now streamlined for the DS audience.
On the presentation side of things, Suikoden is simply beautiful, and it's one of the deepest RPGs on the system. The visuals are stunning, having 3D models displayed over 2D, hand-drawn locales. All navigation through towns is done with a menu system rather than full-on exploration, making it quicker to get from place to place, and also keeping the game small enough in size to fit on a DS cart. Each character in the game has numerous pieces of portrait art (even more when you account for the eventual aging that happens with the core team), all major scenes in this 30 hour adventure are voice acted, and the amount of perspective changes and "shot framing" is very impressive. You'll control characters up close, navigate huge areas with microscopic models on the screen, run around with a bird's eye view of an area, or have shots framed to show just how gigantic some of the game's locales are. In similar titles (games like the original Resident Evil offerings do this) it's all about framing each shot based on the hand-drawn backdrops, and Suikoden masters the art. It's a beautiful, cinematic experience, and one of the best looking and most professionally produced titles on the system.
When it comes to the main story itself, however, I have to admit that I was let down a bit. The anime influence is great for things like animated character intros and specific plot devices, but the main story, while extremely lengthy and very ambitious, is extremely "light vs. dark" in nature. Rather than presenting the story in a way where players feel specific emotions though subtle events, the game literally tells the player what's what. As an example, the adventurers start meeting up with The Order from the very start of the game, and rather than show subtle clues as to the organization's cult-like structure, the game really beats you over the head with it. I'm not sure how many times the main character (me in the game) told the group how "bad" or "not right" something was, and it wasn't needed. Any subtle connection found with characters like Crono in Square's own Chrono Trigger is thrown out the window here, as its more like watching an anime with characters you also happen to control. The bad guys are doing bad things, and that makes them bad. We get it. And while the story itself isn't as deep or hard-hitting as others in the Suikoden cannon, it's still a great offering, and one of the top RPGs on the system. The music is amazing, the voice acting is extremely well done (minus the strange speed-talking from the main character), and the game itself is very deep. Things like the rune system and duels have been taken out, but you'll still have 108 main story characters to round up, complete with team attacks and huge supporting attacks. The game makes use of a new Mark of the Stars magic system that relies on MP (magic points) instead of specific runes for characters, and while returning Suikoden fans will want the classic system, this certainly streamlines it for the somewhat younger core DS crowd.
The trade system is also back and in full effect, allowing players to work a sort of stock market across the world, buying or finding items, and then selling them off to regions that are in high demand. Equipment has also been simplified (no upgrading or item merging to be found), though it's also well balanced, changes up strategy in a big way, and all weaponry and items in the game actually show up on in-game character models, taking the visuals even further. The quest system is back as well, with some of them being extremely short, though others are long enough to check out some original locales or revisit specific areas while gaining your 108 characters. For those that want to participate in the game's online mode, you'll be rewarded with a great system that not only deepens the experience, but also allows you to get a taste for characters you might not have unlocked in your own game. You won't be teaming up with friends and taking on the Big Bad Order or anything, but trading characters and picking up missions adds a great element to the game not found in other role-playing games.
As always, Suikdoen brings a great element to the world of RPG battling. Random encounters are quick and easy if set to auto-battle, allowing you to check out some great animation and quick "everyone for themselves" fighting a la the original Suikoden mechanic. As one minor gripe though, regular battle doesn't save what you selected in the previous round, so if you want to cast specific magic with each character over and over again, you'll need to go in and select it each time, slowing things down a bit. Even within the game's battle system though, the huge attention to presentation makes Suikoden Tierkreis feel less like a token "portable RPG," and more like a full-on experience that just happens to be handheld.
Source: IGN.COM