Tag Archives: Nintendo

Phoenix Wright makes me feel dumb

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20140605_phoenix_wright_logo“Am I not an intelligent human being?”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve already asked myself that while playing Justice For All, the second Phoenix Wright game on the Nintendo DS. At only about its halfway point, I’ve had to reference a FAQ at least three times to prevent myself from receiving a dreaded Guilty verdict from the game’s ceaselessly clueless judge. I’m starting to regret not watching enough Law & Order back in the ’90s.

It’s so frustrating, because for the most part, I really like this series. It has great art, catchy music, and mostly well-written cases that are fun to investigate and peel back their various layers. It has a very strong cast of memorable and likable characters, as well as villains and prosecuting attorneys that can really get under your skin! It’s a solid visual novel design that is packaged and presented nicely.

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Where the game gets a bit too rigid, however, is in its trial execution. Maybe this changes in future installments, but there only ever seems to be one solution to each problem, and that solution can sometimes make so little sense as to seem like its choice was arbitrary. The best courtroom moments are the ones where you’re left shocked, realizing something you had previously overlooked, but that which makes perfect sense once it’s explained. It’s not a reach, and it never should be. It’s great to have some slight of hand and distraction involved, but in the end, it should be smart and logical. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case here.

Do I feel ashamed for having to resort to using a guide? Yeah, but I also can’t stand having to do things over in games, so if this expedites my journey and ensures that I see the series through all of its cases, characters, and locales, then so be it. Plus, Dual Destinies on the 3DS looks fantastic! It’s my main motivator to get through the DS games, and yes, I need to play through the rest of the series — in order — before I play this one. Call it a thing.

Anyway, despite my one rather big complaint, I’m enjoying my time with Justice For All so far. The new Psyche-Lock feature adds a taste of trial crossover to the investigative portions, injecting new complexities into those sequences. I’ve become a fan of the visual novel genre after thoroughly enjoying Atlus’ excellent games 999 and Virtue’s Last Reward, so I’ll hopefully get a better hang of things here so that I don’t have to give in to the temptations of GameFAQs.

Or at least, not as often.

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The Nintendo Wii U: The little console that… might?

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20140604_wiiu_logo_smIt’s tough being a Wii U owner. We’re faced with a constant barrage of doom and gloom from internet haters, industry analysts, and all facets of the press. It’s not unfair, and in fact, it’s entirely justified. The Wii U represents one of Nintendo’s biggest missteps, having only moved about 6 million units worldwide as of the end of March 2014. Having been on the market for 1.5 years already, those aren’t exactly numbers to be proud of.

Taking a look back at its history, it’s easy to see why:

From its unveiling in 2011, you could tell something was wrong. Very wrong. For starters, the name. While the Wii was initially a strange and silly sounding console with funky controllers, at the very least, it was interesting and made you wonder what it was all about. Plus, you immediately understood its brilliance the first time you played Wii Sports. That aha! moment is what helped make it such a phenomenal success. The Wii U? Not only does it sound awkward and unoriginal, but with a big touchscreen integrated into an even bigger Game Pad controller, my first thought was, “May we all have deep pockets for when that thing breaks.”

The screen itself was also revealed to only be a resistive, single-touch type like the DS and 3DS, so it was perceived as being old technology right out of the gate. Multiple Game Pad support, wireless range, battery life, and other concerns were brought up almost immediately, so it was raising more questions than it answered, revealing one limitation after another as time went on. At the very least, the console would finally mark Nintendo’s long-desired step into HD.

20140604_psvitaThere was a lot of buzz surrounding Sony’s upcoming PS Vita handheld around the same time, which sported all sorts of cool technologies like multi-touch and a beautiful OLED display. While the Vita has its own share of struggles today, at the time it was easy to look at the two company philosophies and not see the Wii U as anything but inferior to its contemporaries, or at least the product of a company slightly out of step. The 3DS had a slow start in 2011 as well, so confidence in Nintendo wasn’t exactly at an all-time high. I wasn’t sold on the need for stereoscopic 3D, nor was I convinced that the Wii U’s tablet/console hybrid was what anyone needed either.

I stayed positive, though, and brushed it all off as early, reactionary hyperbole. I figured we’d see the goods at E3 2012.

Heading into that Nintendo press conference, I — along with the rest of the collective gaming world — really wanted to see Nintendo come out swinging. Show us that any worries were unwarranted and that this thing was going to make the PS4 and Xbox One look like derivative, same ol’ same ol’ consoles. This is where the real magic would be, right? With the next Zelda, Mario Galaxy, Metroid, Mario Kart, and Smash Bros. in the works with great third-party support and exclusives, the Wii U would continue in the footsteps of the Wii’s great success!

Oh, how wrong I was.

20140604_nintendoland_e3_2012It was painful to watch. So excruciatingly bad that I would tune out to look at Twitter and the gaming forum responses instead. I had a hard time believing what I was seeing and hearing, but there it was. They tried pushing the concept of “asynchronous gaming”,  a strange term that Nintendo attempted to sell via Nintendo Land, the centerpiece of their press conference. To me, it looked like a simple collection of mini-games, more akin to early, internal tech demos, rather than a fully realized $60 premium game. There were a few glimmers of hope, but when the great Shigeru Miyamoto comes on stage and all he has is the gentle Pikmin 3, you can’t help but feel deflated.

Their poor, disjointed showing at E3 set the tone for the months leading up to its launch that November. When you think about it, the original Wii got just about everything right, including an incredibly strong E3 showing. At launch, it was only $250, and came with the game that everyone wanted: Wii Sports. They even had a Legend of Zelda game in the form of Twilight Princess. If you wanted an Xbox 360, that was $300-400. A PS3 would set you back $500-600. I don’t think either competitor included a pack-in game. Also, since HDTVs still weren’t at impulse-buy prices, the Wii’s 480p video output wasn’t a deal-killer, although it would become one of its major and most criticized Achilles’ Heels in the years to come.

The Wii U, on the other hand, got just about everything wrong. Nintendo already had everyone baffled, but they clouded things up even further by releasing separate Basic and Deluxe Sets. Both were more expensive than the Wii at $300 and $350 a piece, with the Basic Set omitting a number of bullet points, including the pack-in game.

20140604_wiiu_2They should have just made one set — the Deluxe Set — priced it at $300, and that way everyone would get Nintendo Land in the same way that every Wii owner got Wii Sports. It’d be a title that would showcase the capabilities of the system in a family-friendly way. Parity would also be ensured for all owners.

Adding some poor timing to the mix, Nintendo raised their game prices on the Wii U to match those found on competitor systems, which they similarly did on the 3DS. They had a nice advantage with the Wii, with games selling for at least $10 less than they did on the PS3 and 360. Now, that price advantage was gone.

Not impressed with or interested in any of the launch titles except for New Super Mario Bros. U, I did a big thumb’s down and steered clear of the Wii U throughout most of its first year. I had more than enough to play on my other systems, so I was content just sitting this round out.

20140604_wiiu_3But then along came The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD. Seeing it again and hearing about how Nintendo was integrating touchscreen functionality, tweaking the gameplay, and making a number of changes to improve its overall pacing really piqued my interest. It sounded like they were addressing every issue I had with the game back from when I played it on the GameCube. I also found out that they would be releasing a Legend of Zelda-themed Game Pad adorned with gold artwork and Hylian script, all part of a Deluxe Set bundle priced at $300. Curious how things like that will tap right into your gamer DNA.

My mind quickly did the math: OK, $300 for a Deluxe Set with the $50 game and sweet Game Pad makes it a $250 console. Some extra freebies through Club Nintendo and the Digital Deluxe Promotion, and that makes it cheaper than the Wii. What a no-brainer!

20140604_wwhd_allSo, just like that in September of 2013, I went into my local Target and bought a Wii U. It always feels great buying a new console, doesn’t it? Walking out of a store with that nice, hefty box under your arm makes you feel like you’re in the opening credit sequence of Reservoir Dogs. 

It’s funny how one game will do that to you, though: turn the tide in your mind, even though nothing’s changed about the situation. I thoroughly enjoyed The Wind Waker HD, and it was a nice coincidence that the first game I played on the Wii U would show me that yes, the Game Pad’s touchscreen can truly make a game better.

20140604_wiiu_1Since then, I’ve purchased several other games for the system, including New Super Mario Bros. U, Lego City Undercover, The Wonderful 101, Pikmin 3, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and Super Mario 3D World, a game so good that I gave it an A+ back in January. New Super Mario Bros. U was also a big surprise, since I was not expecting much out of another entry in the “New” series, but it was also a fantastic, highly polished, and challenging game.

Virtual Console offerings have been pretty good so far, too. The standout in my mind is EarthBound — its first time available since the Super Nintendo days — which is an all-time favorite RPG of mine. It’s not to be missed. Super Metroid, Contra III: The Alien Wars, Super Castlevania IV, and others round out a slowly growing oldschool library.

Which brings us to today. With Mario Kart 8‘s release, and Nintendo’s aggressive promotion of it — including an excellent Deluxe Set bundle and a terrific free game offer — this might be just the thing that helps bring life back to the Wii U. Some major next-generation titles, including Rocksteady’s highly anticipated Batman: Arkham Knight, have been delayed until 2015, leaving PS4 and Xbox One owners with a dwindling selection of games for the rest of the year. Mario Kart 8 moved 1.2 million units during its first weekend. When you consider the number of Wii U consoles that were out there earlier this year, that’s a number Nintendo should be proud of.

So who knows? Even though I’ve been grinding this axe for a few years now, I do it out of my love and respect for Nintendo and what they’ve done — and continue to do — for us, the players. I wish them the best of luck, and hope that Mario Kart 8 is only the first in a steady stream of right moves for the Wii U.

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What I’m playing right now: Swords, Courts, and Karts

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My father-in-law’s now recuperating in the comfort of his own home and bed, which is great, but my wife came down with a pretty bad case of food poisoning last night. Long story short, we were up until dawn, and didn’t get to sleep until about 6 this morning. As they say, when it rains, it pours. Yin and yang, or something like that.

Anyway, after such a stressful week, I’m looking forward to some quality game time this weekend. Here’s what I’ll be playing:

 

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A couple weeks ago, I started Fire Emblem: Awakening on the 3DS, even though I’m not a big fan of strategy games. I just finished The Exalt and the King (Chapter 5), so I have a long, long way to go, but I’m enjoying it so far. I’m playing it on Casual, even though I’m sure this irks Fire Emblem purists to no end. The game is still pretty tough, however, and vital units can get wiped out in a single turn if you’re not careful.

The amount of content in Awakening is impressive. In addition to the main quest, there are a number of sidequests to complete as well, so this game will be keeping me busy for quite some time. I’m extremely impressed by the game’s production value. The animated cutscenes by Madhouse are gorgeous, and put a lot of regular console games to shame. The soundtrack is equally impressive, providing great drama and tension to story and battle scenes alike.

About the only thing I don’t care for is the sporadic voice-over. It’s distracting, and tarnishes the shine of what is an otherwise superlative game. I’m also feeling slightly overwhelmed by the already high number of units I have at my disposal, but I’d rather have more to deal with than too little.

 

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I played and finished the first Phoenix Wright game back in 2012. While I really liked it initially, it became tediously long and definitely wore out its welcome by the time it was over. This could be due to the DS version’s extra content, but whatever the case, I was relieved when it ended, only giving it a C+.

Now that a couple years have passed, I felt ready to jump back into the series. It’s very familiar so far, and I’m liking that. The mildly remixed music is nostalgic, and it’s great to see old friends and colleagues return. I’m enjoying the story so far, and the new cast has been quite eccentric. I wouldn’t expect anything less after the crew from first game.

I’ve only completed the first case, and that trial had a good flow with testimony and cross-examination that made sense. Some of them were so vaguely indeterminate to me in the first game that I had to resort to using a guide on more than one occasion. I’m hopeful that I won’t have to do the same here. So far, though, I’m digging this.

 

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Finally, my copy of Mario Kart 8 should be arriving at some point today, and I’m very excited to start playing it! I’m not really the target Mario Kart player, though, since I like to play solo most of the time. I suppose that’s why most games in the series haven’t really done much for me. I’d rather have a goal/adventure-based format like Diddy Kong Racing instead of straight classes and groups of tracks. Seriously, why haven’t they made more games like that Rare classic?

In any case, I’m hopeful that MK8 rekindles my love for the series. I was addicted to Super Mario Kart on the SNES, and I haven’t liked any of the subsequent entries nearly as much. Maybe this will be the one that breaks that cycle. By all accounts and reviews, it looks like an undeniable gem of a racer. As a Wii U owner, that’s very, very good news.

Have a great weekend, and thanks for your continued support and readership here at GHG.

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The Nintendo Entertainment System, Part 1: The cool kids

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Whenever I see forum threads to the tune of “What are your most shocking gaming secrets?”, the first thing that comes to mind is the fact that I never owned a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). No, I instead chose to ask for a Sega Master System for Christmas back in 1986. In a lot of ways, owning a Master System was similar to what it feels like to own a Wii U today: a trickle of good first-party support, but that’s about it.

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But that’s not what I’m here to talk about. While I have a lot to say about the Master System, I want to talk about the NES. Out of the group of friends I hung out with back in junior high, at least half of them had one.

While almost all of us had an Apple // computer of some kind, the NES was different. Its primary killer app was Nintendo’s own Super Mario Bros., which for all intents and purposes, was a pixel-perfect translation of its arcade counterpart. Full of variety, tight gameplay, colorful graphics, and a catchy soundtrack, owning this game — and knowing all of its numerous secrets — immediately put you in the “cool” category among your peers.

20140521_kung_fuI’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous of my friends. It’s not like I could simply ask my parents, “I know you just bought me a Sega, but how about that Nintendo too?” Out of the question, and I would never build up the courage to ask. That left me with the obvious alternative: play them all at my friends’ houses!

And play I did. A lot. The NES simply had the better games, and so many more of them. The difference between the two libraries was ridiculously comical, and it’s no wonder Sega moved quickly to release the 16-bit Genesis in 1989, a mere 3 years into the Master System’s short existence.

20140521_excitebikeThe first couple years for the NES were amazing. While many genres were still in their infancy, the quality on display even at that early stage was incredible.

Take Excitebike, for example, which was already a fun game to play with great pseudo-3D graphics, but they upped the ante by including a track designer. Although its save/load functionality was far from ideal, building that in as a feature added value, while being a fun way for friends to show off to one another.

20140521gngMeanwhile, Capcom had been releasing a number of arcade-to-home conversions at that time as well. I was a big fan of their arcade games like 1942, Ghosts’n Goblins, and Commando, but their NES conversions didn’t impress me. Their graphics were really choppy and the music was hollow and tinny.

I played them to death, of course — and they did play good, which is important to note — but it was disappointing that Nintendo’s home console wasn’t able to do justice to many of my favorite arcade games.

20140521rushnattackThat would all change when my friend received Konami’s Rush’n Attack for his birthday in 1987. Although I was already a fan of Konami’s games like Castlevania and Gradius, it was Rush’n Attack that for the very first time made me realize that home versions of arcade games could be better than the originals.

While the NES version’s color palette and animation weren’t as detailed, it ran more smoothly, felt better control-wise, and it blew my mind with one of the best soundtracks of that era, which still sounds great today.

It was from that point forward that Konami became synonymous with quality for me. They would really falter in later generations, but back then, it was rare for them to put out a complete dud.

The years that followed would further solidify the NES as arguably the all-time best videogame console. It would play host to many games that are to this day considered the greatest ever made.

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Strategy games: I want a rematch

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20140512_adeptEver since I was in grade school, I’ve been rather terrible at strategy games. Don’t get me wrong, I loved playing them. Archon and Archon II: Adept are bona fide classics, but to say I was any good at them? That’s a stretch. Sure, maybe I would do well against the computer from time to time (and I stress the word ‘maybe’) with the difficulty settings in my favor, but I would regularly get crushed by my best friend back in 6th grade. He was a natural, understanding unit attributes, terrain variables, light/dark cycles, and long-term strategy. Me? I just wanted to get to the one-on-one arcade-style fighting bits. I was much better at those than I was at moving pieces around the board, but that more traditional strategy element is a specter that would follow me constantly.

20140512_bc2Chess is another highly strategic game that I happen to enjoy, but again, when it comes to playing it, I’m pretty bad. It’s not uncommon for me to lose my queen early, or find myself in a very premature check scenario because I wasn’t thinking ahead or couldn’t see what my opponent was setting up. I’d gravitate towards variants like Battle Chess or Battle Chess II: Chinese Chess (pictured) instead for the graphics and humorous animation.

In conversation, I’ll tell people that I prefer turn-based strategy over real-time strategy games because I can “take my time”, but in reality, they both can frustrate me. I’m not sure what it is that sends my anxiety through the roof when I play them, but I can usually hear myself saying, “You could have done X, Y, or Z, and that would have been better than the move you just made.”

Perhaps it’s because I’m horrible with statistics. It was my least favorite course in college, after all. Anyway, these thoughts ring true particularly for turn-based games where I have time to reflect on the decision made. This has been a major hindrance to my enjoyment of renowned series like Advance Wars, XCOM, Fire Emblem, Civilization, and many others, and frankly, I’m sick of it.

20140512_fea3So today, I’ve decided to start and take on Fire Emblem: Awakening on the Nintendo 3DS. I know that it’s not the hardest one, and I’m going to be playing it on the Normal/Casual settings, but I think this is the best chance I have of cracking into a genre that has caused me more grief than joy throughout my life.

I also have to come clean and say that apart from the first Sakura Taisen on the Sega Saturn and Herzog Zwei on the Sega Genesis, I have never fully beaten another strategy game that I didn’t have to test as part of my job. At least, none that I can think of. I’ve played many of them, but rarely have I completed one. If I think of any more, I’ll revise this, but for all intents and purposes, that’s it.

I’m looking forward to this journey, and hope that when I reemerge, I will emerge enlightened. In the eternal words of Yoda, “You must unlearn what you have learned.”  Wish me luck.

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