Nyko offers a better Wiimote

1Up provides an interesting article on Nyko's Wiimote knock off, which undercuts the Nintendo Wiimote enough to get Nintendo's attention in the future.

Nyko will offer the featured Wiimote by March, for about the same price of $40 as Nintendo's Wiimote. The surprising part, is that Nyko's Wiimote will have Motion Plus built in.

Wii Motion Plus is an additional $20 for EACH Wiimote, in itself another source of income for Nintendo. The fact that Nyko does not sell this Motion Plus integrated Wiimote for $60 might pressure Nintendo, especially since Nintendo Wii is slowly becoming a "party console" in the gamers mind as opposed to the primary console of use.

Which means no owner of a Nintendo Wii will be satisfied with just one Wiimote (no console is ever satisfactory with one controller), and Motion Plus is going to become necessary for most games in the future. Unless you prefer to be unable to do certain moves and pretend developers won't be pressured by Nintendo to use this feature.

The fact that Nyko flaunts Wii Motion Plus integrated, and with no additional cost will undermine Nintendo's Wiimote. So Nintendo will be forced to either try to prevent the release of Nyko's product or be forced to price the bundled Wiimote with Motion Plus for the current price of the Wiimote alone.

All that being said, wait till March if you desire another Wiimote. It will save you money, and save you from having a slightly larger plastic stick.

Reggie Fils-Aime comments on Modern Warfare 2

Nintendo Everything plucked this comment by Nintendo of America's president

...We know that it’s a high-quality title. We know that it will do exceptionally well. Their challenge is going to be sustaining that. It was so big so fast, what happens next week and the week after? Versus Mario is going to sell for high numbers every day now through, really, for the next couple of years.”

And I thought Bobby Kotick was the only one who could look stupid when talking. Of course Mario will probably outsell Modern Warfare 2, but not for good reasons. I agree it could, but only because:

1. Nintendo had a loyal fanbase
Think about it, Nintendo was selling the Wii in great numbers. But with the lack of good titles without the name Mario in it, the introduction of this "version" of Mario with 4 player is going to sell. But how many people don't bother with their Nintendo Wii lately? Quite a few, and this is probably the first Wii game in a long time to be a must have. It's Mario, who doesn't know Mario?! Then again, who hasn't seen the tons of terrible games for the Wii that borderline on gimmicks for the Wiimote.

2. Mario has existed since the 80's
There are plenty of dedicated Mario fans that span across all ages, Modern Warfare 2 is a specific game franchise that doesn't have a specific character (unless you count Soap McTavish). Modern Warfare 2 technically has a smaller follow up if people actually followed the M rated warning on the game(which they don't),Modern Warfare is a growing franchise separate from the Call of Duty franchise as a whole in just several years. It doesn't have the "desperately loyal" fanbase of the Mario fans, the inert Wii owners who haven't bought more than 4 good games a year on their Wii, and the easy-to-manipulate young minds as much.

Heck Reggie should worry about this, because it means they will lose more than just hardcore gamers.

Geek Spaces: Ed's gaming collection

Ed shows off his gaming collection.

TGS 09: Wii Price Drop confirmed and New Super Mario Bros. Wii gets a date

This shouldn't come as a shock to anyone whose been following the leaked retail ads around the web but the Wii price drop is now official. Starting this Sunday, September 27th the Wii will cost you 199.99 in stores. It makes total sense and one can only hope that this means Wii HD isn't that far way. Dare I put my foot down and say an announcement in 2010 with a 2011 release? Who knows but just thought I'd let you know incase you were finally thinking about getting a Wii this holiday.

Lets not forget though that the New Super Mario Brothers Wii is also coming soon. November 15th is the date so mark your calendars and get ready to once again enter the mushroom kingdom.

The Nintendo Seal becomes it's own branch

It is now named...

After many many years the Nintendo Seal of Quality will be leaving us, and wil become its own company. In previous years the Nintendo Seal of Quality was an assurance that the game you bought was approved or made by Nintendo that limited the amount of games one developer could maker. This ensured quality bug free games and let Nintendo loyalists avoid the non licensed games that sometimes didn't work.

A lot has changed with the Nintendo Seal of Quality, including the fact that now it's just labeled the Nintendo Seal. I have many games such as Captain Skyhawk, Hardball III, etc. that prove the Nintendo Seal of QUALITY was BS, and probably the reason they changed it. They kept it though, likely imprinting the idea that the game must be good by the seal. Although I know that means nothing.

Now that it is its own company...it mentions better work conditions, so I imagine testers might show some more enthusiasm to simply deny some of the terrible games in the Wii library. I can't hope for too much though.

NES RF Switch Flaw

While on a trip in Pennsylvania, I brought along my SNES to play in my hotel room for when the fun was over at the party. First of all, I recently watched an Angry Video Game Nerd "You Know What's Bullshit" episode about hotel room TV's, James Rolfe (AVGN) lamented about how hotel room TV's are not great if you want to use video game consoles, DVD players etc.

Rolfe is right on this, especially considering most hotel TV's don't have RCA inputs to avoid people bringing their own DVD players. This is a common practice to help them make money through Pay Per View, so Rolfe advised people to buy a RCA to CoAxial converter box to take with them.

The thing is, I make due with what I have. Older systems like the SNES use an RF switch, and that just requires you to put the cable into the RF box and putting the box on the TV. I have two RF boxes, one for the NES and one for the SNES. You'd think they were the same right?

Nope, since I had the SNES RF switch on my TV, I took the other one. The hotel's tv was so annoying to remove the cable for, that i had to hold the TV sideways with my cousin who came to play. So when it was all connected except for the RF switch to the TV, I ran into a huge annoying problem I had overlooked.

THE NES VERSION OF THE RF SWITCH DOES NOT HAVE A TURNING NUT ON IT'S CABLE

The SNES one does, bitterly ironic but what did we do then?

Unplugged the whole thing, and connected the RF to the TV FIRST. You have to turn the RF box with the wire since the wire cant slide the other way, and thank god my cousin Rick was there because on my own this will be extremely frustrating to do when I am at it alone in a hotel.

My trip went well, but that was pretty annoying. If you have an RF switch for the Nintendo/Super Nintendo, make sure the wire to the TV has a turnable nut in case you plan to use it.

Super Mario World Review (SNES)

Since receiving my SNES, I have played a great deal of Super Mario World which happens to be the game that was first packaged with the system during its retail years. I have to say, this is a really good Mario game, I expected it to be decent of course. But after playing Dr. Mario on NES and knowing they never made a Mario "4", I would think that Nintendo could never match the godliness of Super Mario 3. Not impossible but I would have been surprised, does Super Mario World live up to the Mario in its name. HELL YES.

First of all, this game greatly took advantage of the SNES to make it better than the original Mario, and it even becomes it's own unique experience of a game. Mario World does employ the pattern system utilized in past Mario's, mostly in the style of the original one during the first or third castle raid. It took the idea of the pattern system to proceed through the level and did it more times than I have ever seen in a Mario game. Mario is mostly trial and error, but Super Mario World makes you stop and consider your options like Mario 3 does.

Super Mario World is clearly newer and graphically superior to the first three Mario games, but the question is whether its a successor to the original Mario Series or a stand alone game? I would have to argue stand alone, because it equals Mario 3 in game play variability but it doesn't exceed it. Super Mario 3 and Super Mario World are equally good games, i'm surprised Super Mario World could even match Mario 3. It does as far as I see, the thing is it overdoes the level progression pattern system to the point that you get stuck from a huge guessing game that would likely not get resolved in the first few hours.

Also, Yoshi is advertised on the cartridge, but he only comes in every now and then. Yoshi has some benefits as an accompanied friend to Mario, but I really didn't enjoy using him and preferred to leave him behind. I remember having a Yoshi-like character in the form of a dinosaur on Crash Bandicoot...2 I think, that was what Mario World SHOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOSHI. Granted be it's an unfair comparison because the Bandicoot wasn't around till the release of the Playstation, but when you give an animal like Yoshi, he has to have a big advantage or a skill NEEDED to go through the level. Yoshi really hasn't done that so far, so I forget about him pretty quickly.

Overall, Super Mario World is a game you will regret not having as soon as you do get a copy. So if you don't have it and want another game, get Super Mario World, you shouldn't need my encouragement.

I give this a 5 out of 5

Wall-E Gamecube

So I was surfing IGN when I came across this article, apparently this was done a while ago but someone made a fully functioning Gamecube out of a WALL-E.

I WANT ONE :D

From the DS to the Retro Gen

I have decided that my Mario Edition DS is a waste of time for me, the games are expensive to a degree and I find myself not enjoying the DS style of play with the stylus at all. Also, my DS sits for a week or two at a time on my desk, that isn't right considering I have other things I want, that need money I don't have.

Since it looks like my DS will sell for what I want I decided to think over why I am more excited for the Retro Gen than I am for the DS I currently have.

1. Gameplay. It took me a while to realize why I didn't play my Gameboy Color anymore, and why my DS sits around for a good length of time. The casual gameplay of the DS numbs me to the point I don't play anymore. I want the portability for games in a decent package, and the Retro Gen lets me play ANY Genesis game, even region locked games on the go. There's no compromise in gameplay and it would be sick to play Ghostbusters on the Retro Gen.

2. Value. I spent 120 dollars on this DS and have no wish to buy anymore games for it because I need money as it is, the games are expensive at 23 to 30 bucks a piece, and I have too much junk as it is in my gaming collection I haven't touched. It'd be better to put my money I invested in the DS market to better use such as NES games or to fix my Sega Genesis which I have to have regardless if I get the Retrogen. And I want the Retrogen regardless what happened with my DS, two handheld systems is going to be too much to deal with. And I start college in two weeks so the DS is the easier thing to let go for me.

3. Features. The DS wireless play and the double screen stylus techniques were a nice idea, but I don't like the latter and so it bores me whenever I can't mash buttons in my games. What the Retro Gen has like its predecessor it's emulating (Sega Nomad) is the TV out function that lets me play off the handheld as the controller on a big tv. That is pretty cool, and also the Retro Gen has 6 buttons, 3 of them are turbo buttons.

4. Games. DS games really killed it for me, some of them are good like most of the ones I have. But in a large amount of the games they either are ridiculous titles like cooking games, use the stylus for almost the whole game which annoys me, or the fact that I can't get games for less than 23 dollars in good condition. The Retro Gen allows me to use FULL Genesis cartridges which cost as little as 5 bucks a game on Ebay. And these games are console ports which means they are a richer experience for me being games that weren't held back by the gap between handheld and console game designs.

So that's why I am changing my preferences in the handheld gaming world, I am not into casual gaming but I prefer to have the portability. The Sega Nomad had its critically acclaimed Genesis library on a handheld, which I wish others could do today. I actually miss the Cartridge era, and the fact that the DS games are so dang small drives me insane that they need big cases and cost 30 bucks.

I'm sorry, the DS is great but it just numbs me to the point that its not worth having if its not enjoyable as I thought it would be. At least when the DS sells I can preorder my Retrogen and get it delivered straightaway upon release.

My Style

Before


After

Mega Man...for Atari?

Why didn't this happen..or did it?

When I saw this megaman for Atari demo I was thinking it was a home brew creation, a very good homebrew creation, but then I realized it would've been a lawsuit waiting to happen.

After much searching I found here that this is indeed a homebrew creation. Or at least I think so, but it's cool nonetheless.

So after a while I found this:



If this homebrew copy is made and sold, it's an automatic buy for me. But damn the website isn't up yet after I clicked all the links and found this link:

http://www.iam8bit.com

and got nothing..yet.

This is a cruel game the websites are playing with us, but man I hope this game gets made.

Nintendo DSi: for new customers only

I am the proud owner of a Special Edition Mario DS Lite, and yet almost sold it because of the recession squeezing my wallet. Having said that I am hooked on Nintendo handheld gaming as I was with the Gameboy Pocket, Gameboy Color, and Game Boy Advance before I gave up on their handhelds for a while.

There have been many scenarios where someone comments on my DS Lite saying "are you going to upgrade to the DSi?", I can easily say no to that. Because between the last gen DS and the new DSi the games are accessible to everyone, I never upgrade when the games are still available to me. It's a much different scenario than say the need to upgrade from a PS2 to a PS3, theres significant difference in those consoles than the three handhelds of the DS lifespan of the Nintendo handhelds.

So after reading THIS article, I'd like to offer my opinion on potential buyers of the DSi.

If you have a DS Lite, don't bother. Losing the GBA slot will hurt because some of those buyers who like to collect the older stuff. I will even go as far to say the "fit and finish" of the DSi is inferior to the DS Lite, and even though I have a Mario DS I envy other special editions of the DS Lite. The DS Lite also has alot more color choices than the DSi.

If you have the first gen DS I say don't feel rushed to buy the DSi, put slowly save up for it. And only do it if the download titles appeal to you.

So in regards to the DSi, only new customers of Nintendo should apply. Heck i'd probably do it  for a DS Lite though, make of it what you will.

Note: Sometimes I wish I kept the box for my DS Lite, but it got so ruined I wouldn't like keeping such a tattered thing >_<

Frustrating Gaming Moment: Zelda Phantom Hourglass

Yesterday while being with the family I killed time by playing with my DS, I popped in Zelda Phantom Hourglass at a certain point and restarted the game since I had gotten stuck while on the Ember Isle. There was this door I couldn't open, and yet there stood a clue saying blow out the flames to illuminate the path. No, I wasn't foolish enough not to realize it was talking about actually blowing out the flames. I was expecting it meant the volcano and not the tiny candles around the door, I searched the map for some device to use and found none for a while.

So while pondering what to do I watched the Angry Video Game Nerd's review on Transformers for the Famicom version of the Nintendo Entertainment System. And the Nerd happened to point out the microphone on the Famicom, using Zelda to point out it's use in gameplay. So after putting two and two together, I realized of course the DS has a microphone but did it have a use in my situation. If I could blow, I could probably blow the candles, "so were the candles like a lock" I thought.

I tried it and it worked. I rolled my eyes at how simple it was, but for a Zelda fan, This was the first game I touched. And since i'm not a fan of cheating, I didn't look online...yet. Kinda funny it took the Angry Video Game Nerd to realize what I had to do. FINALLY! I can continue the game. It's been great after that, but dang, amazing how groundbreaking it seemed despite the weird looks I got from my cousins. Well how would you react if you saw someone you know blowing at a DS in a way you would for birthday candles.

Ironic, Funny, Priceless.

Geeksquisite Gaming Diary 6/15/09: Double Dribble

Ed reviews Double Dribble on NES

Nintendo World Championship on Ebay

I heard it here that someone is putting an original GOLD cartridge (gold colored mind you) of Nintendo World Championship on Ebay.

In my excitement as a relatively new NES collector, I went out to find it.

I did, and i'm so tempted to buy it myself. It's so stupid though because its just Mario, Tetris, and Rad Racer on one cartridge. But the fact that only less than a hundred exist, especially with like 20 of them being Gold is amazing. If you own one, your basically a NINTENDO GOD.

I want it, but i'm going to have to pass. If I really want one i'll buy the reproduction cartridge available.

It's simply amazing the guy wants 25,000 bucks for it, i'm sure he'll take a little less.

Btw, this is the 100th post for Geeksquisite, and we're only 33 days into our blog.

Wii Price Drop?

LINK

"Wii supply has finally exceeded demand, so we expect hardware sales to show year-over-year decreases for the first half of 2009," predicts Pachter, continuing, "In order to hit its full-year Wii shipment forecast, we expect Nintendo to cut the price of the Wii before [the] holiday, likely to $199.99." -Michael Pachter

Smart move in my opinion. But it's too late for me. This year at E3 I learned the differences between the systems, and even though I want a PS3 like I never did before, it's different with Nintendo. Nintendo showed some good games, but i'm starting to notice how when they announced the new Dead Space game I was envious, then realized most games have to be butchered to get on the Wii. And I realize, Nintendo doesn't allow alot of creativity with their 1999 graphics and soon-to-be obsolete motion technology. I'm done with Nintendo, I'm even junking my DS on ebay because of the gameplay being short lived. 

Also, Sony and Microsoft have alot more to offer. Nintendo is really becoming the console for little kids, and as much as I love my NES. They aren't what they used to be. 

A mistake Nintendo must avoid

Link

Nintendo simply says they are unconcerned with the competition in motion technology from Sony and Microsoft. This may cause them problems. 

It's one thing for them to wave off challenges to their gaming empire, but it's another thing to act as though they arrived in the technology first. Sony, and to a larger extent Microsoft, are catching up in motion technology. Despite being a bit of a fanboy, Microsoft really has the world abuzz about Natal. Simply because you need nothing to use it, Rob's post about it being on Jummy Fallon adds to the hype.

Nintendo should worry about their technology such as Wii Fit and the Wiimote since Microsoft is especially aiming to make "physical" motion peripherals a thing of the past. Nintendo would like to avoid looking like it follows the crowd, it's avoided following the crowd for a very long time. But it just might have to if they want the Wii to succeed.

Currently the Wii balanced itself at E3 by offering long awaited sequels to their Famous titles and extended game libraries like Dead Space. But at the same time they were overshadowed by Sonys more recognized, polished, artistic, and awaited sequels and new projects. Nintendo has a casual gaming style, which can't fight Sony.

And Natal from Microsoft beat their Wiimotes into novelties from the views of gamers. Lets hope Nintendo does not sit and proudly name off their past achievements, and decides to play ball with what the other two have to offer.

Geeksquisite Gaming Diary 06/11/2009: Megaman 2

So, I continue my quest to beat Megaman 2 on the NES, however... it proves to be tougher than I thought.

Batman on NES

Earlier in the week we briefly mentioned Batman: Arkham Asylum on our podcast, and touched on the fact that most Batman games have sucked. Because there isn't a memorable Batman game that stands away from the large amount of poor Batman games, I decided to delve back to Batman on NES to see if the first attempt on a console worked. It didn't

Batman on NES has "messy" graphics, I'm okay with that. But when enemies come after you, all you have to fight with is your fists. And it is a pain in the neck when you have those robotic contraptions at your feet hurting you every time you kill one. I've avoided taking damage a few times, but mostly have gotten hit. What's even more stupid is that the enemies don't represent any henchmen like resemblance to any Batman enemy I can think of. The enemies are so stock and random. 

Only later do I realize that because select is start, start changes your attack from punches to bataarangs, a gun, and other stuff. The sad part is most of the weapons are useless, the gun only shoots straight, the bataarangs are okay, and I don't like punching everything unless its one guy repeatedly. 

So does this Batman game stand out as good? I think it's easy to say it doesn't. It's really flawed, but i'll try to beat it without getting too annoyed. 

I give it a 1 out of 5

Am I saying Batman: Arkham Asylum will suck too? No, but gamers have played enough of them to be uninterested. I hope it defies expectations to suck. 

Geeksquisite Gaming Diary #3: Mario

Ed talks about the experience of playing Super Mario Brothers on NES and how it was for him to lose and reclaim that part of his life.

E3 2009: 'Scribblenauts' Demo Impressions

So, E3 is winding down now, and if I can think of one HUGE technology announcement that TOTALLY blew me away, it'd definitely have to be... Scribblenauts. No, not Project Natal, not Sony's motion wand... just Scribblenauts. Obviously, I'm not serious, but Scribblenauts does look to be packing some pretty interesting technology in it.

So, the concept of Scribblenauts is simple, type in various objects and you'll be able to spawn them and use them. Supposedly, you can type in anything and get anything. I don't know how true that is, but so far they seem to have a pretty impressive amount of stuff in the game. In this gameplay demo, they show off the spawning system, and manage to spawn a lot of varied and different items. They also show some physics-based puzzles, and a sandbox mode, which looks a lot to me like 2D Garry's Mod.

The game controls like your standard 2D platformer, but the spawning aspect of the game is pretty ambitious, and it'll be interesting to see how well it pans out when the game is released later this fall.