Monthly Archives: March 2009

Mar 21 2009
Uncategorized

Whew

Just registered all of the games I had available for the Club Nintendo Datamining Website.

I earned enough to get Platinum Status.  It’s the first year that the club is available in North America, but Japan’s club has gotten some pretty neat swag in the past.  I’m hoping that the trend continues over here.  I’ll find out what the reward is for revealing all of my purchasing habits at the end of the Club Nintendo Year, which is July 30th.

For those of you playing the home game, here’s a sample:

  • How did you hear about this title?
    Primary answer: Other website
  • How did you purchase this title?
    Primary answer: Online retailer
  • What was a major influence for you to purchase this title?
    Primary answers:  Poor Impulse Control.  Nostalgia.  OCD.

You can see how this went.

All that aside, I really want that set of Mario Hanafuda cards.  I just like the idea of Nintendo cards, the first things they ever made in Japan over 100 years ago, combined with Mario, the character that made them the videogame empire, on the same item.

Mar 20 2009
Uncategorized

Movie Night

Is back on.

Tonight was The Girl Who Leapt Through Time followed by Kamikaze Girls.

It was a very J night.

Mar 19 2009
Games

Dungeon Crawling

I’ve got this urge to just play something akin to Diablo II and Titan’s Quest, but neither of those games. Possibly something closer to the Baldur’s Gate games on the PS2.  Good old dungeon crawling and infinite loots.  I mean, I could just pop in Too Human, but I’m looking for sort of a medieval fantasy sort of thing.

Just a good dungeon crawl would do the trick.

The whole top down view, press a single button a lot, manage your inventory, and drink potions genre has kind of been ignored lately, and with good reason.  I just summarized it for you in that last sentence.  Still, there’s no reason why someone can’t make a well crafted version of the same type of game and have it stand out.  It’s not like the market is really taking chances with new franchises, developers and publishers might as well go back to some old standby titles.

I hear that Sacred 2 may fit the bill.

Although to be honest, I may start playing it and then just lose interest.  It’s entirely possible that this phase may pass.

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Mar 18 2009
Games

For Mature Audiences

Played a bit of Madworld for the Wii and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the DS.

Both M rated titles, and both on Nintendo platforms.

I played a good bit of Madworld, lumbering my way through a couple of the earlier levels before I really started to “get it.”  It’s really more like a puzzle game combined with a fighter, and a tiny bit of pixel hunt.  You’ve got to combine prop kills with environmental kills to really get things going, but sometimes, finding the props is difficult because everything is in black and white.

The exception of course, is blood.  Which is everywhere.

Madworld is the other answer to that knock knock joke.  “What’s black and white and red all over?”

Chinatown wars is well, it’s top down cel-shaded GTA on the DS.  It’s like a deeper version of the 1997 client.  This time, there’s a bit of Dope Wars (remember that on the Palm?) as well.  Money seems quicker and easier to come by if you’re running merchandise to different parts of the city.

It’s not bad although I’ll probably get sick of it around the impossible missions.

Madworld is just too over the top not to play through.

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Mar 17 2009
1 Comment
Games

The Stupidly Fantastic Idea Open Letter to Electronic Arts

Dear EA (and other developers),

I was having dinner with a friend of mine and we were discussing how much fun we have playing Rock Band (Lots of fun!) with the Rock Band Stage Kit (Lots more fun!).

While I was on the subject of Dead Space, he suggested that EA should support it as another peripheral.

Please, for the love of all that is awesome:  Make this happen.

Granted, this is a small, niche audience.  But it is an audience that craves more use out of their Rock Band Stage Kit than just being a stage kit.  I’m not saying put it into every game.  I’m not sure that Tiger Woods Golf is the type of title that needs this sort of enhancement, but just consider it for a couple of other games.

Imagine, if you will, Dead Space with on demand strobe lighting and smoke.  Or lighting effects that match the action on screen.  Red alerts on screen, red hues in your family room, and not just from your television.  That much more immersion from a title that’s already pretty engaging.

Burnout Paradise could have smoking tires.  Not all the time, of course.  But I think that a red, yellow, green countdown would make the race starts much more exciting.

The upcoming Dante’s Inferno is easy.  I’m just guessing here, of course at possible stage scenarios, but use the stage kit LEDs for lighting effects.  Cool blue lights while walking over traitors trapped in the ice.  Got lightning in any stage?  A single strobe light flash would be fantastic for setting that mood.

The possibilities are pretty open.  As long as it’s not overdone, the lighting effects could definitely enhance the dramatic effects of a scene, similar to how creative lighting is used on stage.  Sure, it’s gimmicky, but it’s additional value to a piece of hardware that I and many others have already purchased.

Sincerely,

Someone who bought the Stage Kit and is looking for additional reasons to keep it connected all the time.

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