Tendo City

True. But it has been shown, along with stuff like that Yoshi game...

But not their big launch title.

They're re-released virtually every other major Mario game, this one was inevitable eventually... and it's actually different! Not so bad... it doesn't look like the biggest touch-screen user, but only some games can really benifit from it as I said and platformer isn't really one of those most of the time.

I could think of a number of ways that a 3d platformer could take advantage of the touch screen.

Maybe, but you can only expect so much from a system's launch titles you know... yes, sometimes they do a lot, but technically and innovation-wise it'll only give you a sample of what the system can do.

Right, so the developer of the hardware shouldn't be expected to take advantage of its main feature with its initial software, but everyone else is? Yeah that makes sense!

I'm just saying that the first generation, given that they have less time to optimize for the system, often doesn't show as much originality... Nintendo in the past was good with this (see the NES or N64), but in recent times not so much.

That's no excuse. Sega's launch game makes great use the DS, only using the stylus and mic! Nintendo needed something that would show people that the touch screen thing is more than just a gimmick, but in terms of their software they failed. Very sad.

Yeah, Nintendo really should do more with their early games to take advantage of the DS's capabilities, but they do have some coming fairly soon that will.

Still...

They're releasing fine games so it isn't a major issue, I'd say.

Of course it's a major issue! Nintendo needs to convince consumers that the second screen thing is something cool that will open up new gameplay possibilities, and Mario 64 DS most certainly does not do that. People are going to be thinking why there couldn't just be one big screen and an analog stick.

But enough unique games are coming out that I don't think many gamers will notice much, or care... and Mario 64 DS looks cool! Not totally new, but enough to be worth looking at.

It would have been a lot better with a larger single screen and an analog stick. That much is certain, and that is what people will realize. None of the other launch titles will get nearly as much attention.

Of course an analog stick would be better and I've said that many times, but we'll just have to live without it... but that wasn't the point now, was it?

Actually it was. Nintendo has to convince consumers that the DS is not a gimmicky system, and their big launch title does nothing to convince anyone of that.

Oh well. The lineup is still decent.

Oy...

Shazbot!

Um...so anyway, TWO MORE DAYS!

It's getting closer! I can feel it! Anyway, the Blockbuster I preordered from said Nov. 24 for the DS, but I think they said that because they don't know what they're talking about. I'm going to call anyway, but I fully expect to pick up my DS this Sunday.

If I get a DS, I'll have around $5 left in my checking account and I won't be able to get Mario 64 (though I will be able to borrow a friend's). I could probably wait a month to get one, but then I'm afraid of shortages.

What to do!?!

Well after much delibertation(including a weird dream where I had to quickly decide whether or not to get a DS...) I've decided that I'm not going to get a DS for at least another few weeks, and if there's a shortage I can wait. The only games I'm dying to play are Advance Wars and Mario Kart, and I'll just borrow my friend's system with Mario 64 until then.

I got a DS today, along with Mario DS and Feel the Magic. Awesome. Amazing awesomness. This device is pure fun in a little plastic case...made of love. *touches DS screen* *stuff happens* *giggles like a little girl*

i want one...badly.

maybe i can score one for x-mas. then again, my mom and dad are both strongly opposed to purchasing videogames for me for my birthday or christmas.

man, i wish gamestop had hired me instead of that fucktwat who doesn't even play videogames. then i'd be able to afford all kinds of things. a DS, paper mario, metroid prime 2, beer and cigarettes.

oi, what a bloody pain.

*hugs DS*

This thing is great! I've only played Mario 64 (haven't tried the Metroid demo yet), but I think Nintendo just might have a winner on their hands with the DS. My one complaint is that I wish the stylus were attached with some sort of cord. Yunno, so the microscopic thing wouldn't get lost. Wait, then Nintendo couldn't charge me for a new one...

Oh well. Early impressions: so far, so good!

Then maybe Yamauchi won't have to totally give up on doing anything for Nintendo (didn't he say something about the DS being his idea so if it failed he'd have to rethink things or quit for real or something?)...

Ah, I couldn't help it, so I got a DS! Couldn't afford a game but my friend did let me borrow Mario 64 for the night.

I've played with my DS for a while longer and overall I love it. Playing Mario 64 anywhere is just too damn cool. The controls aren't perfect, and I really wish the system had an analog nub or something, but it's still workable. It's just disappointing, seeing as how much Miyamoto values good controls. The graphics in Mario 64 are great, and indeed far better than the original version. The shimmering problem seen in those videos is not a problem on the actual system. Texture filtering would have made the game look even better, but oh well. Anyhow, I love the improvements they made to Mario 64. There are better, more complex textures all over the place, as well as much better models (the coins are no longer rotating sprites! :D ). There's no longer just one shade of grass, which I think really helps add to the diversity of the levels. The first world now has a lighter, not-as-well-watered color to it, and the second grass world has much darker, richer grass than the standard Mario 64 color. I love that. This really is so much more than a simple port, and I'm hoping that Nintendo will release a proper Mario 64 sequel for the DS. Just use the same engine, I don't care. Give us Mario 64-2!

I also tried playing some GBA games on the system, and there are some good and bad points. The good is that the backlight makes the games look ten times better than they did on the SP (and no more subtle blue tint!). I mean it, the games look incredibly crisp. Better than they've ever looked. The bad are the controls. The dpad is bigger than before, but since there are now four buttons each one is smaller than the SP's. And you can't map the buttons, which sucks. The x and y buttons would be much more comfortable to use than b and a, but that's the only choice you're given. My thumb gets tired pretty quickly that way. Hopefully I'll get used to it over time.

The system itself is lighter than I though it would be, but it also feels cheaper than you'd expect. The casing doesn't feel as solid as the SP's (or the regular GBA's). Not a big deal, but one worth noting. The backlight is wonderful, but like all backlights there are some minor drawbacks. If you tilt the screen more than a bit the picture gets washed out, and you really can't play without the backlight under any circumstances. But there's no glare, no blue tint, and games look very crisp. So the pros outweigh the cons. The sound is also really terrific. N64-quality, from what I could tell. The two speakers make all the difference in the world (TOLD ya, DJ!), with some really nice surround sound fakery being done.

So if I had to give out grades, I'd give the DS hardware a 7 or 8 out of 10 and Mario 64 DS a 9. The DS hardware is great but not as perfect as the SP. It's not as comfortable as the last two handhelds, and I do hope that Nintendo releases a more comfortable DS SP or something in the next couple of years. Or at least offer firmware updates to fix some GBA control issues.

I got Mario 64 and Feel the Magic. Mario 64's graphics are better than the original's except for some slightly pixelated textures. I haven't played it much yet, but the controls seem to work well and the new gameplay additions are a great bonus and it only costs $30. Also, the minigames and the part where you can mess with Mario's face is fun.

Feel the Magic has a weird graphics style to go with its weird gameplay and storyline. It may be even crazier than Warioware, as impossible as that sounds.

I've played it, and despite what a few have said, the small screen doesn't really hide the fact that this is certainly not PS2 level graphics. Oh well, it still looks good and better than N-Gage.

I only played the demo they had, Metroid Hunters. Honestly, I am not that impressed. It uses the D-pad for moving, the buttons on the right for aiming, L for shooting, and R for jumping. Works well enough I guess, but where's the touch screen support? I tried using the stylus to move Samus around, and as it turns out the only time that works is when you are rolled up into a ball, at least as far as I could tell playing it. I didn't try the top screen because, well, isn't the bottom one the only one with touch screen support? Anyway, it also let me change weapons and back and forth between ball mode. The game itself was rather dull. I ran around shooting very unimpressive enemies in the little tutorial level. Honestly I can't see it being much more fun in multiplayer... I dunno...

Anyway, my impression so far is that I'm not. Analog support would have been great. An analog stick wouldn't have fit on there of course, well not a normal one. Actually they should bring back the old analog... button looking thing... they had on laptops for the longest time before the (aweful) touchpad was adapted as the standard (that thing just hurts my wrist, and they ALL have this stupid "feature" that lets you tap on the pad itself twice for a click, which sucks because a lot of the time I'm just moving my finger around to get a better position for dragging the cursor). That old... whatever it was was a pretty great thing. I never had problems with it. Putting it next to the stick would have been a good choice. Another option would be PS2 style analog button support right in the cross pad. That would give you plenty of analog control. Pressure on it would let you walk at any speed, and any angle could be done by simply getting the difference in pressure between, for example, down and left, so if you are pressing harder on down than on left, you go more down than to the left in the game.

Or just make an analog nub like the PSP.

And you're right, just as I predicted the small screen most certainly does not hide the fact that the DS is only around n64-quality. And when compared to the PSP's giant screen and impressive graphical capabilities, the difference will be incredible. Nintendo's only real hope is for people to care more about a second touch screen than terrific graphics. And if there are enough big titles that really take advantage of it, that just might be possible. I'm not sure how well it'll sell right now with such gimmicky touch screen usage by the flagship game.

Quote:I only played the demo they had, Metroid Hunters. Honestly, I am not that impressed. It uses the D-pad for moving, the buttons on the right for aiming, L for shooting, and R for jumping. Works well enough I guess, but where's the touch screen support? I tried using the stylus to move Samus around, and as it turns out the only time that works is when you are rolled up into a ball, at least as far as I could tell playing it

There are several different control styles for Hunters, one of which allows you to use the stylus for aiming.

Quote:Nintendo's only real hope is for people to care more about a second touch screen than terrific graphics.

Also, you have to consider whether or not Sony's demographics will want a handheld that's virtually the same as their home console. That's something I don't think has been talked enough about. It's possible that one of the reasons that people get handhelds, aside from the obvious, is that it has games that are different that what they have at home. I certianly don't think it will do terribly, the graphics and the Sony name is going to count for something, but I think the PSP's ability to penetrate the handheld market is being overrated. It'll be an interesting Q1, whatever happens.

One thing we need to look out for is PSP preorders which, I think, will give us a good indication of how the handheld battle will shape up. DS has around 2 million at last count.

So you're wondering if gamers will want to play games as good as their home console ones? I certainly don't think that will be a problem. If RPGs and deep strategy/war games can sell well on the GBA, I'm sure that Final Fantasy and Metal Gear will as well.

*goes back to playing Mario 64 DS*

Quote:So you're wondering if gamers will want to play games as good as their home console ones? I certainly don't think that will be a problem. If RPGs and deep strategy/war games can sell well on the GBA, I'm sure that Final Fantasy and Metal Gear will as well.

That's not quite what I mean. What I'm saying is that it's possible that the PSP will become a dumping ground for PS2 ports no matter what Sony wants and a lot of games [namely third party games and sports games] that'll be very similar between the PS2 and PSP versions. Will people really want a handheld, no matter how powerful, that's pretty much the same as the console, and games, that they already have? Yeah, it's going to have new games, but it'll need a lot. Sony's got to push hard to get companies to get companies to take risks on developing high-cost games that might potentially not make as much money. Still, they've got a good price-point and then there's the graphics [if they use that power for more than just ports]. 4 months. That's how close it is.

Well I'm certainly going to get the PSP version of GT4 over the PS2 one. Two words: online play.

EGM said that the PSP's analog nub doesn't work all too well.

i don't understand why no one will use the NGPC click stick...it's such a great little invention and if it's patent issues...buy the freaking patent. the thing works like a fucking charm.

it really frustrates me to see that there's this great answer to 3d handheld gaming just sitting out there on a bunch of tossed aside NGPC's...but nintendo gives us a crappy d-pad (maybe because they want to encourage touch screen controls?) and Sony tries to make an analogue nub and makes it terribly imprecise and akward to use (according to my sources).

I played Hunters using the wriststrap thumb semi-stylus to aim, the D-Pad for movement, and R to fire, and I was surprised how comfortable it was, and how quickly I adapted to the controls.

I've only played one GBA game on the DS so far, Fire Emblem, and I agree with OB1 100%. It never looked better. The Game Boy Player made it bigger and easier on the eyes, but the DS makes it gorgeous. It's simply amazing how much difference it makes.

As for sound, for a tiny little handheld, this thing can throw some pretty impressive sound. Some of the minigames in Mario64 have sounds that go from one side of speakers to the other. Impressive.

I suppose if I had to drum up one complaint about the DS...it would be the buttons. the a, b, x, and y buttons are tiny and cramped together, and oftentimes I find myself pressing two at a time inadvertantly (this has been the demise of Mario many a time). If they were a little bigger or spaced out a bit more, it would make a world of difference. Short of that one little disadvantage, the DS is an absolutely terrific piece of hardware.

A regular GBA has no blue tint problem... :D

Quote:A regular GBA has no blue tint problem...

It also has no-light problems.

Quote:i don't understand why no one will use the NGPC click stick...it's such a great little invention and if it's patent issues...buy the freaking patent. the thing works like a fucking charm.

You're right about that, the NGPC click stick worked really well, even though it wasn't analog. Still, it wouldn't be that hard to make one of that size.

One more thing: on the matter of will people want to buy recent console ports for their handhelds, look at Nintendo's big launch title: an 8-year old console port. So I guess handheld ports are only good if they're ports of really old games?

Come on now...

Madden 2005 on PSP = $40-$50 + $200 for the PSP
Madden 2005 on PS2 = $50

THIS is what I'm talking about. You really think people will want BOTH? They'll likely get one or the other and if they don't have the PSP yet and possibly even if they do they'll probably go for the PS2 version.

Your numbers are off. Let me fix them for you:

Madden 2005 on PSP = $40-$50 + $200 for the PSP
Madden 2005 on PS2 = $50 + $150 for PS2

I don't know what it's like in Oklahoma, but PS2's are not free over here!

Again, this argument is basically saying that people won't want to have immediate choices over which version of a game to get and that they have to wait eight or more years to want to get it again for a handheld. That makes no sense at all. The DS is going to be littered with N64 ports just like the GBA was littered with SNES ports. Now handhelds are finally catching up with home consoles so you won't have to buy a game twice (the second one eight years later). Some people will want to play GT4 on their PS2 and others will want it on their PSP. There are pros and cons for both versions. Some people might also buy both versions just 'cause. Just like how I bought all of the Mario games twice. I have Mario World for my SNES but I also wanted it for my GBA.

But that's also thinking that there will only be PS2 ports. That won't happen. There will be plenty of games made specifically for the PSP that will work best as handheld titles. Look at the PSP's announced game list and the DS's announced game list. There are more console ports on the DS side.

What are people going to want: an (ugly) N64 port of Ridge Racer for the DS or a brand-new RR game for the PSP?

Quote:Madden 2005 on PSP = $40-$50 + $200 for the PSP
Madden 2005 on PS2 = $50 + $150 for PS2

Do you know how many people in the world don't have a PS2? It's like 5. Five, OB1.

Brian doesn't have one!

He's the only person that doesn't!

I thought you said there were five people!

Okay, so I exaggerated a little bit, it's really only one.

...

My sister doesn't have one...

That doesn't count!