Creepy Pokemon Story

Here's something nice for Halloween! Not so long ago tinycartridge.com posted a creepy pokemon story on their blog which you can read in its entirety here:

http://tinycartridge.com/post/866743831/super-creepy-pokemon-hack

This story inspired some Nintendo DS programmers to make a visual novel out of it. Tinycartridge.com also posted about it here:

http://tinycartridge.com/post/988304533/super-creepy-pokemon-hack-turned-into-a-homebrew-visual

If you have a chance to play this on a Nintendo DS I recommend you do. It's a very nice Halloween treat! Enjoy!

Donkey Kong Country Returns promises challenge

The general impression from those who have played DKCR at press events and such have found that it provides a good challenge. This is in stark contrast to the other new game that has people excited, Kirby's Epic Yarn.

The DKC games were certainly challenging in a decent way so this sounds like it could be on par with them. This is something else that is making fans happy and excited!

Brand new Donkey Kong Country Returns trailer released!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjwPYj-HQHY

Enjoy!

Map of Earthbound Zero's Duncan's Factory

Duncan's Factory is without doubt one of the horriblest dungeons I've ever come across in an RPG. It's very easy to get lost in and trying to draw my own map of the area proved disastrous. Finding this map on rpgclassics.com was a godsend! If you ever intend of playing Earthbound Zero, please use this map!

Other stuff about that Kirby's Epic Yarn Iwata Asks feature

I mentioned before on how someone from Good Feel helped make Kirby's Epic Yarn turn out the way it did and now I just read the HAL Lab staff's side of it and about their collaboration. They were really happy to work on the game and glad to see Kirby in a different style. There's even a little clip of one of them playing the new rendition of the classic Green Greens level theme from Kirby's Dream Land on a weird little air piano thing.

Today I completed Dragon Quest IX

Just a few moments ago I finished DQIX's main story. There's a lot to do in the game with the list of sidequests and everything but I just concentrated on the following the plot to the end. My playthrough took up to 35 hours. I'm curious about the extra scene that appears after the credits so I'll go check that out. I can concentrate on sidequests now if I like even though I have the main story completed.

This game is marketed and promoted for a lot of things including multiplayer, sidequests, the downloadable stuff and the tag mode but it's still just as solid and straightforward a DQ adventure for a single player as the previous ones in the series are and just as satisfying as a regular DQ game.

It's true you can play this game as deeply as you like and I'm glad I don't have to connect online a single time or go travel overseas to the UK to a promotional event(like the one I posted about yesterday) to experience the game in a different way if I don't want to!

Dragon Quest IX events in the UK

I got an email from Nintendo recently talking about Dragon Quest IX events that are taking place in the UK. I like the game myself but this event is of no interest to me really since I live in Ireland. But hey, you guys have a look.

They're also giving away a special figurine if you show up with three friends. I wonder if there are many fans of this game over here who personally know three other people who are also fans?

Kirby's Epic Yarn Metacritic update

Since my last post about the new Kirby game's review scores we have seen some small but nice changes. The average metascore went up 1% with 5 new rave critic reviews and 3 positive user reviews.

Things are looking quite nice. Hopefully reception will be just as positive when the game comes out over here!

Kirby's Epic Yarn was tested on a female

In the Iwata Asks feature we learn that a lady who wasn't that adept at action games had her opinion sought as development was going on. The developers made changes according to how fun she felt the game was as she was playing it.

This is good news. This could prove that the game could be lots of fun and even quite popular when it comes out over here.

Iwata Asks about Kirby's Epic Yarn

http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/kirbysepicyarn/vol1_page1.jsp

Haven't checked this out yet but it should make for another very interesting one. I'd like to hear some stuff being asked of the Good Feel staff who are known to be one of the relatively few developers who care about 2D platform games nowadays. I'll set some time aside over the weekend to have a read.

NGamer issue 55

 

This is kind of weird because the writing is a deeper orange than is shown here. Ah well. They gave Sonic Colours an 86. I'm looking forward to trying it out myself when it comes out! 

Professor Layton and Ace Attorney are getting a crossover game

This news raised a few eyebrows I'd say!

But yes it's actually happening. Phoenix Wright somehow gets warped to Professor Layton's universe and I suppose they'll team up to right wrongs together. It's one of those unlikely pairings that actually sound like they go quite well together.

Needless to say, fans are very excited about all this!

Kirby's Epic Yarn is getting some good reviews

Have a look at some of the reviews coming out for the new Kirby game. They're pretty nice! I just thought I'd take a printscreen of the metacritic page as it is so far. I don't often watch video reviews but I am for this title. Everyone sounds so happy to talk about it!

I can't think of any other Kirby game that people looked this much forward to and at the same time was also so well received. I can think of fewer franchises more deserving of this warm reception than Kirby and even fewer developers who deserved so much kudos as Good Feel is getting right now. Their previous effort, Wario Land The Shake Dimension is quite underrated.

My favourite line from a review of this game so far is the one where in their pros and cons section they only listed one con and it reads: "it ends".

Issue 82 of Retro Gamer

Here's the latest issue of Retro Gamer with a Mario 25th anniversary special.

See the numbers all over the cover? They're actually 25 openable flaps each revealing a Mario game behind them. It's a pretty fun idea!

The whole issue is one big Mariofest. It's great and even the anti-Mario grumblers are ok with it since its a special occasion and all!

Episode 1 of Sonic 4 may be out on WiiWare BUT!...

...I will not even entertain the thought of buying it until Cave Story gets released on WiiWare over here. No rush, just saying!

The American version of Cave Story is being updated with things like Gamecube controller support. That's good news. It ought to be out here soon then right?

As for Sonic 4 it's been getting mixed opinions which is to be expected. Some complain about the physics of the game. They do seem kind of funny alright.

On Edge magazine's review of Last Window

This article gave me food for thought. I already knew that Last Window's developer Cing filed for bankruptcy but I never thought to observe the parallel with the main event that is taking place in the game - the owner of the apartment building where Kyle Hyde lives suddenly decides to close it down and sell it. This is what Edge magazine does in its review.

Now, Last Window was being developed last year whereas Cing filed for bankruptcy sometime this year. I wonder if Cing developed this game knowing what was going to happen to them and if they intended to express themselves through the events that take place in this game? I'll continue to play it with this in mind.

But hey, it could very well be a coincidence. Then again, thinking about this kind of thing can be fun.

A Shadow's Tale aka Lost in Shadow is out on Wii today in Ireland

Today A Shadow's Tale, which is known as Lost in Shadow in America, has been released in Ireland and the rest of Europe. I couldn't find it in any of my local shops so it must be another one of those limited releases.

You may have seen clips of the game before, it's a 2D platformer with puzzle solving but what's unique about this is that you're a shadow and you're jumping on shadows of platforms. Might be worth a look!

New DSiXL colours

Some new DSiXL colours came out In Ireland last week or so including a blue one which is the colour I was always waiting for.

I will not get a DSi anything until the new Shantae game is made available here though!

No rush or anything Nintendo, just saying!

Famitsu article of Donkey Kong Country Returns shows a difference in the game's title.

In this page of Famitsu, the Japanese games magazine, Donkey Kong Country Returns' title is shown here to be without the "Country". Is the title just going to be "Donkey Kong Returns"?

The Donkey Kong Country games are known in Japan as "Super Donkey Kong". On top of that the sequels are also numbered so it's "Super Donkey Kong 2" and "Super Donkey Kong 3". Maybe this will be "Super Donkey Kong Returns"?

Gonintendo podcast #269

This week RMC talks at length about Shantae Risky's Revenge and encourages one of the others to buy it, constantly trying to reason with him. That was pretty interesting! He also didn't like that there were people trying to get the game without paying. I promise you I will pay good money and points to get that game if it comes out here in Ireland!

Retro Gamer editor replays Donkey Kong Country

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrnAcwyUjoI


Retro Gamer is one of my favourite magazines besides NGamer. Here's the editor Darran Jones refamiliarising himself with Donkey Kong Country.

He says he's preparing for a special feature in the magazine that ties in with the release of the new DKC on the Wii. I'm really looking forward to reading it!

At one point during the video he skips Cranky's Cabin, saying he's going to go straight to the boss. The thing is, it was only the end of the first part of the first area's map. Is he less familiar than he thought he was with the game? No matter, as long as he gets more so (and has a bit of fun in the process of course) so he can produce that article with his team.

Here's some interesting DKC trivia for free:
-Like Darran mentioned, Cranky Kong is the original Donkey Kong and the current Donkey Kong we play as in the game is his son who used to be Donkey Kong Junior.
-Diddy is the current Donkey's nephew.
-Dixie is Diddy's girlfriend.
-Kiddy is Dixie's cousin.

My favourite in the trilogy is DKC3 as that's the one I grew up with. I really hope they don't treat it like it was the "worst" one. None of those games are the worst anything!

Angry Video Game Nerd revisits Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/angry-video-screwattack/705627

In case you didn't know, The Nerd is doing a revisit to one of the first games he ever talked about, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. I think my favourite part of this video is the build up to him turning the game on. He often said it was his most hated game and he really hesitates! Enjoy!

Tesco still lists Official Nintendo Magazine by its old name

 

Has anyone else noticed this? Tesco still lists Official Nintendo Magazine(which is Nintendo's official magazine for UK and Ireland) by its old name, "Nintendo Magazine System". It was the original name for the magazine which changed around the time the N64 was released. 

Super Mario 25th Anniversary disc has the SNES Mario All Stars versions of the Mario games.

Just saw a Japanese tv spot that showed footage of the Mario games on the new upcoming Wii compilation. It has the SNES All Stars versions of the games that appeared on the NES so if they're what you prefer, this is the collection for you!

Remember, it's currently scheduled to come out in Ireland and the rest of Europe on the 3rd of December! I wonder if America will get a release date for it soon? You guys must be anxious about it...

Mario 25th Anniversary Collection coming to Europe

Today it was announced that this special Wii disc release is coming to Ireland and Europe as well as Japan and it'll be coming out on the 3rd of December, the same day Donkey Kong Country Returns comes out here.

That's quite weird isn't it? It's kind of like that time "Little King's Story" and "New Play Control! Pikmin 2" came out here on the same day. I don't know if sales of one will disrupt the other's. I sure hope not.

It says "All Stars" on the box, the same as the SNES compilation. I wonder if it'll be the SNES remakes of the games that'll be on it? I must say I prefer the original NES versions (not that these aren't nice too).

It would be great if Super Mario World was on it too like it was when the SNES got a revised version that got bundled with consoles. That cartridge was without doubt the greatest retro game compilation ever!

An audio CD will come with it that has tunes from various Mario games.

Kirby's Epic Yarn gets 36/40 from Famitsu

There seems to be people online who are more excited about the new Kirby than the new Donkey Kong Country. Nevertheless both games are very important in the important role of bringing us back to playing games in glorious 2D. Kirby's Epic Yarn won't be out here in Ireland until early next year but over the next week or so it'll be released in America and Japan so I hope you guys abroad are ready to buy it when it gets released!

Famitsu gave it 36/40 (breakdown 9/8/9/10 between the four reviewers) talking about the difficulty level which is quite low. This is somewhat reminiscent of Kirby games in general and it'll be interesting to see how the game sells as there is a healthy bit of buzz about it. There's going to be a lot of it over the next couple of weeks so let's all enjoy it together and hope it's the good kind!

The Angry Videogame Nerd Movie, my thoughts

I've been a big fan of the Angry Videogame Nerd ever since I first saw his video where he was reviewing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the NES. That part where he talks about the hole you can just walk over resonated with me so much that I ended up watching nearly every single thing he's done since. I first saw it in 2006 and since then I've always checked out his website for future updates.

Recently he uploaded a video where he talks about the AVGN movie which you can see here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZw6YHR2EBM

I know I'm slow to blog this but he mentioned that he's spreading the word so that's what I'll do too with this post. I'm looking forward to this and I'm trying to imagine what the movie would be like! For now I hope he and his film crew work really hard at it and that it turns out well for them.

Gonintendo podcast episode 268

In this episode one of the guys (I think it's Kirby) was saying he tried out Last Window for the DS. He liked it though he did note that it was like a novel and was marketed as so( he's not wrong but it's still great). RMC is still mad that Another Code R didn't make it over there... kind of like how mad as I'll be if Shantae Risky's Revenge doesn't come over to Ireland and the rest of Europe!

Some cool music was played too. I'm surprised they didn't recognise Clash at Demonhead!

Listening to Podcasts: Screwattack's sidescrollers

Screwattack.com isn't a bad site. After all they're affiliated with the Angry Video Game Nerd so they musn't be all that bad right? I like their weekly podcast and Stuttering Craig has a really good radio host/sports commentator type of voice. This week he was talking about his trip to Japan and the amazing multi storey arcades they have there. Also with they way they're so polite to each other and the way a lot of adult stuff is right in your face. I'd like to visit there someday myself and maybe learn the language so I could enjoy more entertaining media that comes from there.

Celebrating Super Mario Bros.' 25th Anniversary

Super Mario Bros. is now 25 years old. I thought of doing something special to celebrate the occasion so I thought I'd learn to do that famous 1up trick on world 3-1.

It involves the flight of steps near the end of the level and a Koopa Troopa. As it descends you jump on it and as you bounce off it it rebounds off the step and you can bounce on it again and again until you start getting 1ups for each bounce.

I tried and tried again but kept failing to actually do it. Then I realised that I was playing the PAL version and that made the difference. Did you know the PAL version of the original NES Super Mario Bros runs faster than the NTSC versions? It's really unusual as PAL versions of games are usually noticeably slower than their NTSC counterparts. That means effort must've been taken to make sure the PAL version was actually faster than it was destined to be.

So then I tried the NTSC version of the game and was able to do it straight away! I was really pleased with myself! That was a good way to celebrate the birthday of this game. Those extra lives really come in handy too when you're trying to do a non-warp playthrough of the entire game.

But I still prefer the PAL version released here!

Looking forward to Kirby's Epic Yarn on Wii

Another nice surprise that was revealed at E3 this year was Kirby's Epic Yarn, a game being developed by Good Feel, the same guys who made Wario Land: The Shake Dimension which has some of the most flawless looking graphics ever and Kirby's Epic Yarn looks similar in style.

Really looking forward to this. I'm a big Kirby fan and I have all his DS games! I'm more looking forward to DKC Returns but should be great too.