Messages

1876

Gaming / Re: Metroid Discussion Thread

« on: September 14, 2010, 03:05:27 AM »

The fact is that ANY previous "emotional" moment you can get out of a Metroid game is purely visual, no dialogue, and thus highly open to personal interpretation, to say nothing of attention span.  There's the death of the Baby, that glare in Samus's eye when she mentions the colony being under attack, and the various childhood scenes in Zero Mission.  At the end of the day, they're all only passing glimpses.  Other M was the first "deep" look into Samus's character in-game, and even though it was not perfect, I still think it was enjoyable.

Fusion is a slight exception, but I don't think anything in there was particularly gripping.  Dachola and Etticunes looked cute, but that's about it.  For all the complaining about Adam's "authorization" policies, I think Other M did a lot more for his character than Fusion could ever hope to.  Fusion just gave him a name and a catchphrase.

1877

Gaming / Re: Sonic Colors (Wii, DS)

« on: September 12, 2010, 04:26:35 AM »

It's still Sonic Colors. That means you'd have to port the wisp gameplay, plus explain why this new character isn't in the Wii version in the first place.

Because Sonic's plotline is that deep, right?

Who says that Wii and DS stories are going to be the same, anyway?  Just because the game title is the same doesn't mean the dialogue is going to be identical.  If they're different scenarios merely with thematic "wisp gameplay" similarities, then no explanation is necessary.

Sega's in a "Sonic only" phase. I think it's good and refreshing for them. I know you have a hard-on for repeated gameplays of a game with characters with similar gameplay, but this is a positive thing for Sega. More stuff will come later if they're successful. Let them improve on their game-making bit by bit.

It's not refreshing for Wii owners; Sonic-only is *ALL* they've done on that console, save for Black Knight.

And mind you, this "improvement" they're on has yet to be tested.  Yeah, I'm hopeful too, but hope is what sustains this end of the Sonic Cycle.  Further, I found Black Knight to be a significant improvement, particularly in its late-game (which is unusual for me since I tend to enjoy the early stages in other Sonic games), but unfortunately the public perception of hedgehogs with swords is a lot worse than hedgehogs with cyber-elves.

1878

Gaming / Re: Metroid Discussion Thread

« on: September 12, 2010, 04:11:36 AM »

Or Nintendo could stop being dickheads with the repeated plot and make Samus chase a new threat, unrelated to Metroids, Space Pirates or Ridley.

Metroid game not related to Metroids would kinda suck.  What they need to do is stop trying to render them extinct in every damn game only to come up with some breeding/cloning solution in the next.  Have the next Metroid game leave them out wild so that their reappearance needn't be the center of some contrived plot device.  That way, as in the Primes, they can simply appear for the hell of it.

Ridley is, next to the title critters, the most iconic villain of the series.  Going without him is like Zelda going without Ganon: it's doable, but it won't last.  And since Ridley is himself a Space Pirate, yeah.  But, again, just because the Pirates are in the game, doesn't mean they have to be the center of attention (see Prime 2).

They weren't the focus though. Hell, the Metroids' presence in Prime 2 and 3 was basically just a cameo. And are they even relevant to Hunters?

Weavel is a Space Pirate, I believe, although frankly all of the other Hunters in that game serve no purpose other than cannon fodder.  I'm trying to remember whether or not Metroids made any appearance in that game other than the First Hunt demo...

1879

Gaming / Re: Sonic Colors (Wii, DS)

« on: September 12, 2010, 12:16:36 AM »

It's the same engine, right down to the dash meter.  Porting a pre-existing character shouldn't take NEARLY the dev time that new levels would.

Blaze's appearance does not mandate a replay.  In Rush Adventure, you play as Sonic until you meet her, then you have your choice between the two from then on out.

1880

Gaming / Re: Metroid Discussion Thread

« on: September 12, 2010, 12:15:26 AM »

Federation cloning shenanigans have to stop sooner or later, or at the very least those responsible ought to form their own organization.

I'm REALLY not willing to swallow Zebes' destruction equaling Space Pirates extinct, though, so we could always see him again that way.  With how many times Ridley's been revived already, I'm sure he's "archived" somewhere.

1881

News and Announcements / Re: Rockman Online artwork and details.

« on: September 12, 2010, 12:04:17 AM »

Hes had it for a while now bro.

To be fair, I don't whip it out nearly as often.  These days I prefer

Von Kaiser's secret to fashion success

.

1882

News and Announcements / Re: Mega Man Universe details from PAX

« on: September 11, 2010, 05:51:42 PM »

Now even *I* can't argue with that...

1883

Gaming / Re: Sonic Colors (Wii, DS)

« on: September 11, 2010, 05:47:35 PM »

I'm so sad Blaze isn't in Rush 3.

As am I.  Sega could always surprise us, though.

1884

Gaming / Re: Metroid Discussion Thread

« on: September 11, 2010, 05:46:12 PM »

Well, much as I like the Ridley encounter I did have plenty of OTHER story-qualms with the game that I went over many pages ago.  So, I guess I can't argue with that.

I don't mind the "linear" structure in terms of story so much, as on the whole Metroid has mainly been about traveling from key item to key item anyway (especially in older titles that based your "ending" on clear time rather than item completion; smart move on Retro's part I say).  But a few less locked doors would have been nice, this is true.  More than once I raged at being unable to backtrack to a few item dots in the Main Sector, it's completely senseless.  Requiring items to retrace your steps once in a while is one thing, but there's no excuse for just locking out the beginning area because you can.  And there is NO REASON WHATSOEVER the Main Sector elevator should remain locked after you have completed the post-game mission.

He died the first time in Prime 3?  I don't remember that.

IIRC, she shot him in the mouth, and he laid there.  That's as "dead" as being shot off a cliff in Prime 1.

Then Omega Ridley happens...

Omega Ridley is one of those things you just excuse because it's cool, I believe.  I mean, if the Pirates are in league with Dark Samus from the beginning of MP3, then wouldn't one have expected their Homeworld Leviathan to have landed before that?

1885

Gaming / Re: Metroid Discussion Thread

« on: September 11, 2010, 06:00:12 AM »

As it's presented, it just comes out of nowhere.

That's because Ridley came out of nowhere.  And that's the only way it works.  If she knew he was coming then the scene wouldn't have made any sense.  And it would make even less sense if she was just reminiscing about it.  The fact that she thought she could put it behind her, bury it in the back of her head, no doubt contributes to Ridley's reappearance being such a shock.  If she were comfortable discussing him prior, THEN she shouldn't have been panicking.

I will grant you, some further elaboration on their history wouldn't have been a bad idea.  Besides one of Fusion's ending images, the fact that it was Ridley who orphaned Samus hasn't really been touched upon in-game.  That said, the only logical place to fit it in Other M's encounter would be after the point, and by then, the main concern is what happened to Adam and Anthony.  Maybe a full flashback to K2L's scenery as opposed to just showing Samus as a child would have made it a bit more clear, but I still think that the scene as-is works very well.

1886

Gaming / Re: Super Smash Bros. Thread

« on: September 11, 2010, 05:16:14 AM »

I'm a little rusty myself.  Evidently not as much as you, but then I did get some awesome luck at times.  NEVER expected to win that Rainbow Cruise match.

There is truly only one thing that can stand in the way of the awesomeness of a hacked Hammer Bros. remix.  And that is LAAAAAAG!!!

Oh well, the night was awesome while it lasted.  Thanks a bunch, Jelly.

1887

Gaming / Re: Super Smash Bros. Thread

« on: September 11, 2010, 04:07:22 AM »

It's time!

This'll be my first RPM Wi-Fi since Riivolution-izing the soundtrack.  No more madness-suiciding out of PictoChat for me, not while the Ace Attorney Investigations Pursuit theme is playing.

1888

Gaming / Re: Super Smash Bros. Thread

« on: September 11, 2010, 02:34:18 AM »

Any chance I could interest you guys in Brawling in about an hour and a half?

1889

Gaming / Re: Metroid Discussion Thread

« on: September 11, 2010, 02:27:25 AM »

The ANN article is dead on.

Also, I can do nothing but shake my heads at the idiots clamoring about how having a personality and emotions makes Samus weak.  If anything, the fact that she grits her teeth and carries on despite all the [parasitic bomb] that's happened to her makes her stronger.

Very much agreed.

Sure, Samus has faced Ridley before.  But it's a shock here.  She not only killed him previously, but the planet he was on exploded, and the Space Pirates seemingly are out of the picture (I don't get that, but that's a whole other discussion), so there should be no chance of him returning.  Samus thought that Ridley was behind her.  She was not prepared to face him again.  Further, going by the "straw that broke the camel's back" mentality, this IS her first game since witnessing her "baby" explode, which Other M makes no small effort to emphasize.  That can't be helping things either.

Oh, and it's five times killed if you count the Primes.  Ridley appears twice in Prime 3.

And sexist?  Honestly?  Like male heroes never panic?  Like male characters carrying guns on their arms haven't hesitated to shoot murderous enemies who may be about to launch a group of missiles into their own city?
(See, more people need to play MegaMan, then we wouldn't have these problems.)

1890

Gaming / Re: Sonic Colors (Wii, DS)

« on: September 11, 2010, 02:08:20 AM »

Separate gaming classes DO exist.

Not responding to your entire post because THESE DAMN SEATS ARE VINYL!!!

I never said they don't.  What I said is that the current depiction of them is rubbish.  The gaming press, along with the console fanboys, are trying to drive rifts in between what they perceive as two classes encompassing all gamers.  Which they don't.  NSMBWii convinced me of that, since it is a poor hardcore game, yet as you yourself admit, also a poor casual game.  Despite fitting in neither category, the game happens to be freaking awesome, and enjoyed the fastest single-console game sales ever.  While I won't deny that the "Mario" brand carries some selling power, there's more to it than that, otherwise the Galaxies should have been more successful (they weren't).

Further, gaming classes overlap within the individual gamer as a matter of varying degrees, not as an absolute.  I'm primarily a nostalgic gamer.  Does that I mean I play no Wii Sports, or no Grand Theft Auto?  Nope.  I may not enjoy them as much, but I still take a crack at it once in a while.

You're being (gasp) CIVILIZED? I am officially in Bizarro World!

I'm just stating what I previously believed to be obvious, that's all.

My point is that there is no POINT in playing the game in multiplayer

Which makes the game comfortable to play in single-player (unlike, say, Four Swords Adventure).  To me that's a positive, not a minus.  You play with friends because you like playing with friends, not because you cannot progress without them.

If everyone could just learn how to be good at something that's exceedingly simple and almost primal, everyone in the planet would be gods of sex.

Hey, we all WANT to be PB.

And example, you lack the ability to master something as sickeningly simple as a dual analog strafe/camera control.

Finding something unintuitive and being incapable of working with it are two different things.  In all fairness I haven't made the most aggressive pursuit in that department, but a lot of that is because I'm not much of an FPS fan.

You don't need to talk to me about how individuals have varying tolerances in what does and doesn't feel like natural control.  God knows I've been in a bazillion circles with PB on that one as it relates to MegaMan Xtreme2.  And any Wii owner who's read a fair share of reviews has doubtless found editorial control opinions that fly in the face of their own (some of my favorites: difficulty in grabbing stuff in Godzilla Unleashed, anyone and everyone must play Metroid Prime 3 on High Sensitivity with Lock-On Free Aim, Mario Power Tennis is impossible to aim, and a best out of three round of "YOU SWUNG TOO HARD!!!" constitutes an enjoyable minigame in Mario & Sonic at the Olympics).

1891

Gaming / Re: Sonic Colors (Wii, DS)

« on: September 11, 2010, 12:07:50 AM »

Nintendo has even admitted they's making a console for "everyone". That "for the hardcore" line was very unfortunate coming from you.

Not responding to your entire post because PB has most of it covered.

But on this, your logic fails.  I said the console was ideal for Mario veterans, that by no means implies that non-Mario-veterans should not be playing it.  Never, anywhere, did I state who the Wii excludes, so your arguing as to what other groups the Wii includes disproves nothing I said, and is thus irrelevant.

"Everyone" includes all manners of gamers.  If it were designed solely for casual gamers, it would by definition, not be a console for everyone.  I think using "everyone" in any such context is complete marketing bullshit, mind you, but I'm just saying.  You're making an effort to exclude/segregate gaming classes where no need for such actually exists.

what I'm saying is that New Super Mario Bros has poor co-op play because playing the game cooperatively doesn't help you in progression, it merely hinders you

Not responding to your entire post because......eh screw it, I got nothing.

My oldest brother said the same thing about SMB3, due to sharing items (and about Contra, due to stealing lives).  And in fact, in that regard, NSMBWii is superior in helping you in multiplayer, because not only do map items apply to all players, but in mid-stage you have the opportunity to get high-level power-ups even while your entire group is small.  Further, you can create Toad Houses (all varieties: stars, lives, or item-matching) at will with flagpole timing, which in single-player requires revisiting a stage you already cleared and carrying an NPC through the entire stage.

Videos aside, anyone over the age of, I'll say 6-7 who cannot figure out how to play New Super Mario Bros, which is essentially 10x Easier Super Mario Bros, should not be allowed to play platformer games. Period.

Quoted for truth.  Mario is not rocket science.  As sad as this is yes I have known people who celebrate clearing the first level and can progress no further (this was SMB3, my childhood friends sucked at gaming), but I also know plenty of non-gamers who can do a decent job of pulling their weight in NSMBWii.  One, in particular, who can't even grasp the concept of a freaking charge attack.

...I really do live in Nostalgialand, do I?  >.>

You're on a MegaMan board, remember?  We ALL live there.  In this corner of the internet, Batty is the odd one.

1892

News and Announcements / Re: Rockman Online artwork and details.

« on: September 10, 2010, 11:53:16 PM »

I presume your PB-immunity shot is called Xtreme2, I doubt that will ever crap out.

The game, no, but the physical cartridge did.



......IT WAS YOU!!!
*chases PB with his magic fish*

1893

Gaming / Re: Sonic Colors (Wii, DS)

« on: September 10, 2010, 08:53:38 PM »

Because everyone who plays Mario is a seasoned player familiarized with all of the tricks, right? I mean, that's the kind of person the Wii is meant for, anyway.

That's what the bubble and super guide are for.  "Inexperienced gamers are at a disadvantage" is a criticism that can be made at virtually any game.  In fact, if you can't, then more often than not the game is considered worse off for it (case in point: Mario Kart Wii).  But for those who have been living under a rock, NSMBWii's in-game videos will give you all the 1-Up tutoring you could ask for.  All it takes is a few Star Coins.

And besides that, the seasoned Mario player is EXACTLY the kind of person the Wii is meant for.  Virtual Console at launch mean anything to you?  This pop-classification of gamers as either "casual" or "hardcore" is naive, it is merely an extension of the same "kiddy" label that's been thrown at Nintendo since the N64.  The gaming press considers the "hardcore" games to be M-rated shooters and annualized sports titles, while virtually ANY sidescroller, much less one that does not feature orchestras and fancy particle effects, is criticized as a poor value.  Casual games, meanwhile, have existed long before the Wii (dare I say, Tetris?), they simply didn't threaten anyone's manhood back then.

And isn't not just about puzzle-solving. It's about having more interaction than [tornado fang]ing up each other's games.

Most multi-player games have the potential to [tornado fang] up each other.  And why?  Because puzzle-solving as the sole basis of interaction comes off as forced.

Think of the classic giants of co-op gaming, such as Contra or Turtles In Time, and never once was it REQUIRED that Player 2 be there, or that Players 1 and 2 hit the same block at the same time, or whatever.  Many times the greatest multiplayer games are great single-player games that just happen to allow bringing a friend along and manage to do so seamlessly (see Star Wars Rebel Strike for a more recent example).  As lovely as the "put your heads together" approach is, it's a distinct style with its own advantages and disadvantages.  Ever try playing Four Swords Adventure in single-player?

1894

News and Announcements / Re: Rockman Online artwork and details.

« on: September 10, 2010, 08:05:17 PM »

I assumed that was a given.  RPM isn't safe without a PB-immunity shot, but I believe even that will only take so much punishment before it craps out.  And then exploded heads and loose socks will be everywhere.

1895

News and Announcements / Re: Mega Man Universe details from PAX

« on: September 10, 2010, 08:01:57 PM »

Point taken.  Mrs. Shell plays a mean round of Mario Kart, but she cringes in terror at even Power Fighters.

1896

News and Announcements / Re: Mega Man Universe details from PAX

« on: September 10, 2010, 04:37:23 AM »

Yes, but I've wanted it longer, cause I'm older than most of you! 

I may not be Atari-old, but I pretty much wished for Contra-style co-op the split second I laid eyes on ProtoMan in MM3.  That's gotta be worth something.

1897

News and Announcements / Re: "I has sharp Metal Blades and I'm not afraid to use'em!" More MMUniverse details

« on: September 10, 2010, 04:34:30 AM »

Part-mixing is cool and all, but Kimoto-Roll scares the HELL out of me.

1898

News and Announcements / Re: Rockman Online, Now with Duo!

« on: September 10, 2010, 04:31:48 AM »

I'd like gameplay too.  But badass art is badass art, always good.

1899

News and Announcements / Re: Mega Man Universe details from PAX

« on: September 09, 2010, 02:45:18 AM »

I've been longing for some Co-OP MM for the longest time now.

There's a club for that.  It's called "Everybody", they meet at the bar.
I can't be the only person who was so desperate for such a thing as to pass the controller to a friend in X3 during character changes.

Recall that both of the main-series X titles on PS2 received mistranslations about being co-op.  As INCONCEIVABLE!!! as it is, Capcom may have taken a hint.

Or it may just be the usual wishful thinking.

1900

Zero / Re: Zero series: Why was it so successful?

« on: September 09, 2010, 02:39:12 AM »

The full and sole plothole of Zero4 is that in the transition to ZX somebody realized that they forgot to give Harpuia, Leviathan, and Fefnir a proper send-off.  So they retconned them to share Zero's weakness to generic boss explosions in Z3.