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read-a-long
Read-a-Long with Nintendo Power #244 (August 2009)
By Joe Fourhman | July 1, 2009
This month’s issue is both hearty and chunky, as NP rampages through over 20 games featured at E3 2009, several of which received almost no press coverage. By the way, has anybody out there speculated that “Metroid: Other M” might be a cloaked reference to Mother Brain? Chew on that as you read-a-long!
Issue #244, August 2009
featuring E3 2009 roundup, Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS), No More Heroes 2 (Wii), Trauma Team (Wii), Wii Sports Resort (Wii), Legendary Starfy (Wii), Fragile (Wii)
I’m not going to bother saying much about E3 showponies like Super Mario Galaxy 2, Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks and Metroid: Other M. You already know enough about those. Instead, I’m going to present some tidbits from the lesser-known E3 reveals.
Like Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (Wii). WTF. I moderately enjoyed the original GameCube Crystal Chronicles, but this Wii version sounds completely different. They’re still calling it an action-RPG, but every time I hear about it, it seems to be less and less RPG-like. In fact, it sounds a lot like Elebits, as the main character relies on a grab-and-yank telekinesis ability to solve puzzles and interact with the environment. NP reports that the demo had “no spells, items, or pointless NPC conversations.” Can this sub-franchise deviate any further from Final Fantasy?
Read-a-long with Nintendo Power #243 (July 2009)
By Joe Fourhman | June 13, 2009
As we wait for word on Kingdom Hearts III, we’ll have Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days on DS… and although the series is best known on PS2, a 2004 GBA sidestory already introduced the franchise to Nintendo fans. Grab that keyblade, ask “Where’s Sora?” and read-a-long!
Issue #243, July 2009
featuring Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS), Tatsunoko vs Capcom (Wii), Scribblenauts (DS), Rhythm Heaven (DS), Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii), Astro Boy (Wii)
Straight off, let’s get it out of the way that Nintendo Power does not know what 358/2 Days means. What they do know is that this DS exclusive takes place between Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, focusing on Roxas. Roxas is kind of like Raiden if you consider usual series lead Sora to be the Solid Snake.
With the spotlight on Roxas, 358/2 Days is going to make for a different kind of Kingdom Hearts. Although Roxas will visit Disney-based worlds, he’ll do so without sidekick regulars Goofy and Donald Duck in tow. In their place, you can choose from various members of the doomed Organization XIII. I say “doomed” because if I recall KH2 and the GBA sidestory Chain of Memories, most of these guys were dispatched by Sora and company.
Read-a-long with Nintendo Power #242 (June 2009)
By Joe Fourhman | May 17, 2009
#242 brings a diverse lineup of game articles, but also some bad news. EIC Chris Slate confesses that Nintendo Power will no longer offer the monthly sweepstakes contests that have lurked in the back half of the mag for years. Generally, the contests were sort of dicey… you’d win a Wii or DS plus whatever the game du jour was. Which I always thought was odd since readers likely already have a Wii or DS anyway. Except for the transitional year between generations, why would you read Nintendo Power if you didn’t have the system(s)? Nevertheless, it’s a bit sad to see the contests ride off into the sunset, even if very few people ever benefitted from them. Third prize was usually a t-shirt; I would have been happy to just win that. So save your stamps and read-a-long!
Issue #242, June 2009
featuring Red Steel 2 (Wii), MySims Agents (Wii, DS), Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth (DS), Punch-Out!! (Wii), Nostalgia (DS), Spore Hero (Wii), Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympics (Wii, DS)
You have to wonder why Ubisoft is bothering to go with Red Steel 2 as the game’s title. The “sequel” has nothing to do with the Wii launch title, and the development team is determined to erase all the bad memories associated with the disappointing original. One supposes Ubi still thinks the Red Steel brand has market value, but for all intents and purposes, Red Steel 2 is an entirely new game.
There’s two big reasons why: first, a new visual style that leverages style over realism… and second, Wii MotionPlus.
Read-a-long with Nintendo Power #241 (May 2009)
By Joe Fourhman | April 16, 2009
So a bunch of ice puns last issue becomes this month’s feature on Silent Hill: Shattered Memories? Is Nintendo’s first Silent Hill game hardcore enough for you? This is an exceptionally chunky issue (in a good way), so dodge the pyramid heads, watch out for the dog overmaster, and read-a-long!
Issue #241, May 2009
featuring Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Wii), Punch-Out!! (Wii), G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (Wii, DS), Rabbids Go Home (Wii), Let’s Tap (Wii)
Dude. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is sounding really good. Although positioned as a reboot of the franchise, don’t make the mistake of assuming this is some kind of flaky PS1 port jacked up on waggle controls for smacking fleshdactyls with lumber. Not only does the game turn the original storyline on its head, but it also has no combat at all. Speaking as somebody who still suffers from flashbacks of getting stuck inside five-second attack animations while taking damage from an enemy who moved four seconds ago, I’m calling that a step in the right direction.
So what makes this look like the Silent Hill franchise’s departure album? First of all, it’s the attempt to subtract traditional video game elements like the ever-present examination text boxes. Then there’s the appropriation of Wii-specific tricks that have been used to great effect in previous games… like LIT’s first-person flashlight and No More Heroes‘ Remote-as-phone-speaker. Now add in a storyline that changes as you play it, to an extent far more complicated than “did you get the good ending or the bad ending.” Check out this list of features and see if you’re as psyched as I am (especially now that Fatal Frame 4 has been seemingly barred from release):
Read-a-long with Nintendo Power #240 (April 2009)
By Joe Fourhman | March 22, 2009
It may be only the third wheel of DS Pokemon games Pearl and Diamond, but Pokemon Platinum is still a major title… and it looks like the most enhanced Pokemon re-release yet. Plus Nintendo Power fills some holes in the 2009 lineup, including the return of A Boy and His Blob, a franchise MIA for nearly twenty years! Grab your jellybeans and read-a-long!
Issue #240, April 2009
featuring Pokemon Platinum (DS), Excitebots: Trick Racing (Wii), A Boy and His Blob (Wii), Grand Slam Tennis (Wii), Rhythm Heaven (DS)
Let’s begin this one at the beginning: the always-hilarious reader mail column. Spielberg fan Stacy M. thinks the level editor in Boom Blox “rocked.” It did not. Reader Jack laments the crush of poor Disney Channel-to-video game properties like Hannah Montana, and then closes his letter with “It was a sad day when I bought one.” An unsigned plea for the DSi mentions how one of his four destroyed DSes “fell victim to a Juice Baby Bottle Pop.” Reader Acerox thinks Will Smith’s I Am Legend would be the coolest movie game ever, and “a perfect fit for Wii.”
And finally, a reader with an agenda reports:
The movie I would want turned into a game is Twilight… NOT! I know this is a bit off topic, but I can’t stand that book/movie. Nothing against the fans of Twilight, but I can’t imagine a gamer liking the awful thing.
That bit of love comes to us from reader TwilightHater. Now on to this issue’s games!
Read-a-long with Nintendo Power #239 (March 2009)
By Joe Fourhman | February 24, 2009
Issue #239 arrives about a year too late to cash in on the Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull craze, and about fifteen years too late for anybody to give a crap about Indiana Jones in the first place.
Yes, the cover story teased last issue with a map of Indiana is in fact a new Indy game, a waggle-heavy nostalgia fest called Staff of Kings. Can Nintendo Power make us love Indy Jones all over again? Read-a-long?
Issue #239, March 2009
featuring Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (Wii), The Conduit (Wii), Boom Blox: Bash Party (Wii), Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (DS), Major Minor’s Majestic March (Wii), Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars (Wii/DS)
OK, I need a researcher assisting me on these articles. Because the seven page feature on Indy begins with this quote from lead designer Stephanie Brochu: “Indiana Jones is perhaps one of the best video game licenses out there.” Come again? For serious? What past Indiana Jones video game was anything much above mediocre? Is there a single Indy game anywhere near the greatest video games of all time?
Anyway, Staff of Kings seems to be gunning for the most motion controls packed into a single Wii game. Every time you turn the page, the feature is crowing about another “immersive” gesture. You punch enemies by swinging the Remote and/or Nunchuk. Light a torch with a flint-striking motion. Shake to scramble up a cliff. Shake to reload your gun. Fly a plane by holding the Remote like a joystick. And of course B+swing flicks the whip. I’m tired just thinking about it.
Interested in something beyond the waggle? How about the ability to smash up an aquarium in a bar fight, and then chuck a liberated octopus at an enemy?
Read-a-long with Nintendo Power #238 (February 2009)
By Joe Fourhman | January 28, 2009
This is a tough one for me, personally. It’s a special all-RPG issue, which is not a genre I frequent. It’s not that I have anything against RPGs; it’s just rare that I find a reason to dive into one. So I know just from the cover that this will not be a favorite issue. I’m not a fan of these single-genre stunt issues.
But maybe you’ll find something to chew on, as I find out if the issue lives up to editor Chris Slate’s opening promise that the issue is “jam-packed with amazing games of all types.” Spoiler: it is not. But read-a-long anyway!
Issue #238, February 2008
featuring Phantasy Star 0 (DS), Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume (DS), Sands of Destruction (DS), Dragon Quest V (DS), Arc Rise Fantasia (Wii), Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (DS), Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (Wii/DS)
Nintendo Power’s extended RPG coverage is loosely connected by some sidebar features and infographics. Although the preview articles are done in the typical breathless fanboy style, there’s a wink to the non-fan in the form of an ongoing “RPG Cliche Checklist.” Each game is silently noted as to whether it contains such genre conventions as “Spiky-haired protagonist,” “Technology is evil,” and “Events foretold by prophecy.” I’m not sure there’s a need for that snarky ‘tude, especially when it is juxtaposed to the serious expose of each new game. It’s sort of like the 2008 mandate that NP had to include a “Boy, GameCube was the suxxors” snipe in every issue. Let’s blame this on some weird editorial fluke.
Read-a-long with Nintendo Power #237 (January 2009)
By Joe Fourhman | December 22, 2008
As widely reported, there’s a new Ninja Turtles game coming next year, with the [frankly unbelievable] buzz that it could be the Smash Brawl killer. Nice cover though. The Turtles front a here’s-what’s-coming-in-2009 preview issue, which is something Nintendo fans have been waiting for since about August.
This January issue continues the NP tradition of a holiday gift. Although again, for what seems like the fifteenth time in six years, it’s stickers. Pokemon Ranger stickers. The mag’s new owners appear to have no plans to best the free Smash Melee orchestral soundtrack CD from a few years back. So sticker up your Trapper Keeper and read-a-long!
Issue #237, January 2008
featuring 2009 mega-preview, 2008 Nintendo Power awards (vote early and vote often!)
Part of what’s adding to the anticipation for this new as-yet-untitled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fighting game is that it’s being developed by various members from Game Arts (who worked on Brawl) and Team Ninja (Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden). That’s a lot of talent for a licensed game based on a property that really isn’t the hype machine it once was.
TMNT wants to top Brawl in key areas like stage design and online play, and with a release date somewhere around September 2009, you’d hope it to have some kind of improvement over Smash Bros. The look comes straight from last year’s CG film. The turtles themselves will carry a colored glow to help tell them apart while fighting. And so far, the team is concentrating on a Remote+Nunchuk control scheme, rather than supporting GameCube or Classic controllers.
Read-a-long with Nintendo Power #236 (Holiday 2008)
By Joe Fourhman | November 23, 2008
Jeez, what an ugly cover. A lousy boxed artwork montage over an eye-searing orange. Looks like somebody was on a tight deadline. I also question the text block that says “Reviews Blowout!” and then lists a pile of games that appear in preview only (or in paragraph only, like the tease for Mario & Luigi RPG 3).
We should also point out that this is the thirteenth issue of the year, as the mag now does twelve monthlies plus a special holiday issue. So read-a-long!
Issue #236, Holiday 2008
featuring Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64 retrospective), Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (DS)
First of all, as if you needed any written proof that Nintendo is readying another Legend of Zelda game, NP slips in that producer Eiji Aonuma is in fact working on the next one.
The five page Ocarina of Time interview with Aonuma contains few surprises, but it does remind readers of all the innovations found in the 1998 N64 classic. The lock-on Z-targeting is brought up multiple times, but the article also mentions the horseback riding, playing the ocarina instead of simply using it, the mostly-human form of Ganondorf, and the general 3D improvements that the Ocarina team worked on in the wake of Mario 64.
Read-a-long with Nintendo Power #235 (December 2008)
By Joe Fourhman | October 18, 2008
My copy of #235 came wrapped in an ad for the game Ultimate Band, Disney Interactive’s take on the Rock Band formula. It looks like it has all the soul of a Bratz movie. The true cover feature is Animal Crossing: City Folk… but the AC article offers almost nothing interesting. Do we worry or do we trust? Read-a-long!
Issue #235, December 2008
featuring Animal Crossing: City Folk, Chrono Trigger, Suikoden: Tierkreis, Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia
Boy, you can’t go to much further extremes in your cover art than the road from last issue’s Grand Theft Auto to this issue’s Animal Crossing. The Animal Crossing: City Folk feature article is a detail-free six-pager presented as a diary of the first four days in City Folk. And it sounds exactly like the first four days in any Animal Crossing game. There’s no mention of the Wii Speak microphone, the character transfer from the DS Animal Crossing game, potential DLC, how the online/Friend play works, how the game interacts with the Wii Message Board, or what kinds of items we can look forward to collecting. Even more frustrating, there’s no promise of a follow-up article that would talk about this critical info.
But’s here the few items we are told (some of which we already knew), and my personal list of the Colossal Mistakes it seems we can expect from Animal Crossing: City Folk.
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