Friend Codes:
Pokémon Diamond- 1418 3252 7228
Mario Kart - 1418 0145 6707
Animal Crossing - 0129 5249 2621
Wii - 4977 0404 6270 4200
Mario Strikers Charged - 051647 088996
Pokémon Battle Revolution - 352291 870893
Battalion Wars II - 412433 602797
Super Smash Bros Brawl - 163339 271513
Mario Kart Wii - 150463 038233
Dr. Mario Rx - 518922 129782
Bomberman Blast - 275039 523413
Animal Crossing: City Folk - 446858 641814

• 9Jul 09

  Ask Me Anything

  The end of the semester is approaching and exams keep appearing on the horizon, looming as menacing shapes, so needless to say I have been very busy lately but hopefully within the next two weeks I will be eight subjects closer to getting my Computer Science degree. In order to keep up with the turning of the wheel (Pink Floyd song reference alert) I decided to do a blog I have seen many people on my Friend's List do it so here it goes. Ask me any questions and I will answer all of them on my next post.

  

  Stokes' Theorem. If you don't think that is menacing you are a genius.

  • Posted Jul 9, 2009 5:37 pm PT
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• 7Jul 09

  Flight of Icarus

  Kid Icarus was a forgotten Nintendo first-party franchise that had been forgotten for over a decade until Pit was included as a character on Super Smash Bros Brawl. Since then many people have been longing for a new look at the franchise, a phenomenon that only increased when the Nintendo staff at IGN claimed the game's announcement was simply a matter of time.

  After supposedly leaked art appeared all over the internet featuring a much more adult Pit - something that cause many fans of the series to go mad over some art drawings, it was rumored that Factor 5 was the company handling development but after they filed for bankruptcy many people lost any rays of hope they were still holding. However, Miyamoto, when questioned about plans for a Kid Icarus game, replied "Wait, please". And continued to say how surprised he is at the popularity the franchise suddenly gained.

  Based on that statement fans could make tons of assumptions if they read a lot into that response such as Nintendo being aware of the series' recently reborn popularity or even Miyamoto's "wait" being a nod towards planned development by using - perhaps - previously created source code from Factor 5. Personally I think it is hard to tell and I would rather not get all excited about a title we are not even sure is being developed.

  But what do you guys think? Is there a real possibility Pit will fly again or is that nonsense rumors from fan base that is always demanding more and more games from Nintendo?

  

  • Posted Jul 7, 2009 8:25 am PT
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• 4Jul 09

  The Game Remains The Same

  The next Zelda console game has been among most gamers' favorite topics of discussion since Miyamoto, during his roundtable at E3, decided to show the world the first glimpse of what was to come for the Zelda franchise. It was only natural that our curiosity towards the new title would reach Miyamoto through questions by interviewers and as a consequence tiny - almost insignificant - bits of information start to surface.

  The latest bit of news regarding the new game can end up being a disappointment for some, as the series' creator claimed, "I don't think it's going to be that radically different" when questioned about how different the game would be in comparison to other Zelda games. After Twilight Princess ended up basically being Ocarina of Time with a very beautiful coat of paint and a few gameplay twists, Miyamoto had seemed to realize the series needed a lot of fresh air when he said Twilight Princess would be the last Zelda game as we know it.

  However, while at first his latest comments seem to contradict what had been initially said, when we look deeper into the subject we can make a compelling argument that those who expect changes may be pleasantly surprised when the new Zelda game hits. The problem here is determining what "radically different" actually represents, and as with all things that belong in our mortal world it is just a matter of perspective.

  When you look deep into it both Wind Waker and Majora's Mask were not radically different from the original Zelda or from Ocarina of Time. Wind Waker presented an impressive new art work and featured an amount of side quests that had never been seen before in the series, while Majora's Mask is by far the darkest game of the series so far with its fantastic 3-day mechanic and a gameplay that brings character development to the table like never before. Still both of those games still share a major link (no pun intended) with all other games of the series: you are still going from one dungeon to another while exploring a big overworld.

  

  Not Radically Different

  To me being radically different means taking away the core focus of the game, the basis on which the title was built, and replacing it with a brand new kind of gameplay - sometimes even altering the genre where the title belongs. When it comes to Zelda games this base is exploration, environmental puzzle solving and monster killing within and outside dungeons. And as far as I am concerned that formula is way too awesome to be replaced, therefore not being radically different doesn't imply the game will be Twilight Princess part two as there are plenty of areas where changes can be made.

  The latest, and perhaps best, examples of radical changes to a solid franchise I can think of are Star Fox Adventures, Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts and Resident Evil 4. Within one game Fox went from an Ace Pilot that shot hundreds of ships down within a few minutes to an explorer on a planet full of Dinosaurs, Banjo decided to stop using his feet to reach his goal due to laziness in order to spend long minutes carefully customizing vehicles to get his jiggies and Resident Evil went away from the horror survival genre in order to join the action packed shooting games that reached an incredible level of popularity after Halo.

  

  Radically Different

  Whether or not Zelda needs a radical change is hard to determine, but particularly I don't think that is necessary. While the addition of Wii Motion plus and the creation of a few new dungeons alone won't make me extremely happy about the game changing the pillars that have allowed the series to stand for over two decades honestly doesn't seem like a smart decision and Miyamoto's claims only support that idea.

  Not being radically different does not mean it won't be a fresh exciting game, to me it just says that when you insert the disk into your Nintendo Wii and start playing the game you won't need to look to the logo in the boxart to find out what game are you playing, instead you will experience that cozy and familiar feeling you get whenever you return home after being away from a while but that doesn't mean you won't find any surprises like a new couch, a nice different aroma in the air or even a few unpleasant visitors you may never want to see again.

  

  Radically Different

  • Posted Jul 4, 2009 5:42 pm PT
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