Phantom Hourglass Impressions

I’ve been playing PH for a few days now and thought I’d offer up some impressions.  In general, I’ve had a great experience so far, although it’s not without some flaws.

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Halo DS Existed

Matt Casamassina has updated his blog once again claiming that he played a version of Halo DS from a real developer with actual funding behind it.  That would be nothing new, except that this time he’s posted videos of the game to prove it.

While it looks like it actually moves a bit faster than the console Halos, it looks like it could’ve been a lot of fun.  He makes sure to mention, however, that the game has been canceled with no way of ever seeing the light now.  What’s not mentioned is why.

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50M And Counting

Man, the DS has sold over 50M units since its introduction.  I admit, I was a bit skeptical when it was first introduced - the two screens seemed a bit gimmicky.  But I’m definitely a believer now - Nintendo was able to leverage its dominant position in the handheld market to get possibly the best software lineup since the NES.

I can practically taste Phantom Hourglass.

Ninja Gaiden DS Looks Fantastic

For some reason I wasn’t really keeping up with Ninja Gaiden DS news. I was under the impression that it would be another solid 2d entry in the same vein as the original NES games. I had no idea that they would actually try replicating the fast-paced 3d-gameplay of the more modern series. Not only do the graphics impress, but the gameplay looks to be just as fast and furious as the newer games. My only concern is how accurate the stylus controls will feel, but take a look yourself below.

Ninjitsoops

I thought this was a weird statement to make (from IGN’s recent impressions on Dragon Sword):

“[H]ow do you translate a series known for cutting-edge graphics and spectacular button combos to a handheld that lacks the horsepower of any home system and uses a stylus to boot?”

Unless I’m mistaken, haven’t all of the Gaiden games prior to Black/Sigma been twitchy action games unreliant on their graphics?  I loved them, but let’s not confuse the last two games with the series.

As long as we’re on the subject, another line that raised my eyebrows: “What the demo proves beyond any doubt is that Gaiden for DS is terrific.”  Gee, guys, you’re generally supposed to wait for the game to be released before you review it.  (For what it’s worth, I’ve beaten 2 & 3, but have never finished 1.  I’m hoping Dragon Sword turns out well.)

A Post Of Pure Bile

Clearly, the reason that Nintendo doesn’t localize niche Japanese games for the US is because they’re anti-American. 

I know, I know, the post is a bit tongue in cheek (I hope).  But the idea that hordes of gamers are clamoring for obscure, bizarre, and hopelessly Japanese games is a ridiculous idea.  Most people - myself included - couldn’t care less whether such titles are released here, and I suspect I’m more predisposed to give these games a chance than the average player.  I get the frustration, but you can’t expect a company to cater to your tastes for no other reason than the fact that you would like it.   They’d like to, you know, make some money.

By the way, I hated Elite Beat Agents too.  So there.

One-Liners Part II

I’m not sure how many people actually hate these, but I have about 20 minutes left before I board my flight… so I thought I’d try to catch up quickly on anything I’ve missed in the last few days.

- In what universe does telling a company that has agreed but failed to comply with your regulations constitute a “sucker punch“?

- I’m as tired of the guy as anyone, but any Jack Thompson fight that can be drawn out over 4 posts is amusing enough to warrant a mention.

- If Lifetime really thinks that “women’s casual gaming” is equivalent to “Golden Girls Trivia” and “Sally’s Salon,” both they and their audience should feel very dirty.

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The Year We Drowned in Games (Update 2)

I can’t think of another time when so many potentially great games were all scheduled to come out within the same 4-5 month period. Rather than simply list all of the potentially great games that are coming out the rest of this year, I thought I’d share my potential buying strategies for these games. With so many games coming out, I’ve tried to sort through them with categorizing them into “Must Buy”, which basically means what it says; “Probably Will Buy”, which means that unless I see some bad press or some other factor comes up I’ll likely buy it; and “Could Buy”, meaning that I’ll probably wait for reviews to see whether these potentially great games are worth my money. Other years, many of these games would be “Must Buys” or “Probably Will Buys”, but with so many I’ve had to separate them out somehow. I know different people have different priorities in what they want to get, but this list is probably the most complete list of the potentially “big” titles this year that I know of, outside of sports or racing simulators (which I generally don’t buy but can sell quite well). This is a long post, so get comfortable:

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Slouching Toward Alefgard

I know, I know, action-based RPGs are the wave of the future.  Nevertheless, I actually empathize with the Dragon Quest fans who decried the possibility that DQIX might ditch turn-based combat.

Look - you can’t create a franchise whose defining characteristic is blind, immutable fealty to the same RPG fetishes that created the genre, and then be surprised when people object to changing it.  There’s something vaguely comforting in the fact that no matter how much better games get, there are still people who want to spend 45 minutes just walking from one town to the next… pressing the A button all the while.

Contra 4 Shoots At the DS

Wow, what a pleasant surprise.

1up brings word on Contra 4 for the DS and it appears to be a new Contra game in the same vein as Contra 3, one of the best games in the series. It will, of course, utilize both screens, which looks like it could create some interesting vertical levels and situations. Hopefully it will be as good as it’s looking right now (even if it does look exactly like a original SNES version).