My first blog post was all derrived from the Japanese conference Nintendo held yesterday. Now Nintendo of America is holding a conference in LA, and there is some new info (nothing drastic) that i haven't extracted from the sources that posted from Tokyo.

The Nintendo DSi, previously announced with a built in digital camera, also has a lens that faces the player. Im assuming that this idea came from X box Live's camera. Along with the music playback feature, users will also be able to control the pitch, and whether or not they want to listen to both the vocals and the instrumentals, or just strictly the instrumental. As announced, the DSi will be released in Japan later this year, unfortunately, it wont be shipped in America till later next year.

There were no new announcements for the Wii. However, Nintendo officially presented The Conduit, set to release in 09, and other titles set for next year such as: MadWorld, Sin & Punishment, and Talks about Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop. Nintendo also stated a plethera of DSi games, all set to be released in 2009.

Many can agree that Nintendo's conference at E3 2008 was lacking, being that their major announcements were Wii Speak, Wii Motion Plus, and Animal Crossing: City Folk. There were neat hardware additions, but in terms of software? Nowhere near had a crowd pleaser compared to Microsoft's and Sony's show casings. a lot of what i like to call, "Nintendo martyrs" argued that the rest of us fail to realize that Nintendo is no longer targeting the core crowd, are implementing a new business strategy, etc, in which resulted what was shown at their press conference. let me make this perfectly clear: when the president makes a public apology, there's been a mistake.

For a few months now, there has been much anticipation for the then upcoming Nintendo Conference which they would be holding on their own. Many speculated a new DS, Kid Icarus, etc. overall; fans had their eyes on Nintendo, hoping that they'll unveil new and exciting projects.

They did not disappoint.

The biggest announcement of Nintendo's conference was the upgrade, Nintendo DSi. Only sacrificing the GBA cartridge slot and size, the new DS brings a lot of welcomed additions. Seemingly gearing it more towards the casual market (in this case, it's a very good thing) DSi features a built in 3-megapixel camera. Along with the digital camera, DSi owners will be able to modify their snapped pictures on the handheld, and also transfer them to the Wii's Photo Channel. In addition, the DSi will include an SD card slot, and will be capable of music playback, and (announcing that the DSi will have a faster Wifi connection) will be shipped with an internet browser. Finally, another big addition to the DSi is that it'll feature downloadable software. Software will cost 200pts, 500pts, and 800 pts. There were also games showcased for the DSi including Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time, which will have similar features as the original for the GBA in that it'll be playable on both the DSi and the Wii via wireless connection. The Nintendo DSi is set to be released in Japan on the first of November, there has yet to be a US release date.

Despite all attention on the new DSi, there were also some big announcements for the Wii. Some damn good ones. Turning their attention the problematic storage issue, Nintendo finally announced the ability to download games directly to the systems SD. not the hardrive like many were hoping for (not that it as expected), but it's a start. "Let's play on Wii" was also revealed, enabling players to get their hands on old GC titles that are modified for the Wii. This does, however, bring up concern about hopeful sequels that were assumed to be released on Wii in the future. However, core fans will be happy to hear that in 2009, Punch out!!, a new Sin & Punishment, along with many other titles (Nintendo titles i might add) will be available on Wii. In a montage video, Nintendo showed off announced games, many which look to be quite promising.

Nintendo's conference announced some neat and welcoming additions set to be released in their future. With the new Nintendo DSi, and titles like Punch Out and Sin & Punishment on their way, Nintendo had redeemed them self after their disappointing conference at E3. President Satoru apologized for their showcasing at E3, and we say, "Apology accepted, and thank you".

i decided to take a look at the game, since there hasnt been much coverage before, and all i did was take a quick glimpes at random trailers. there is a lot of skeptisim that goes into this game.

the first thing that i noticed about the game was its presentation. not that great. good for a last gen title, but a little muddy for the wii. and seeing that this is a nintendo published game, developed by the studio that delivered visually stuning titles like baten kaitos, im a little dissapointed. the game does offer a lot or variety such as rescuing troubled civilians via mini-games (dont really have a problem with that), as well as having the player manage 4 different forms of "heath". standard heath, stamina, lungs, and heart rate which can be depleated by running, exposing yourself to smoke, moving around and taking damage. theres also a little driving sim thrown in there (meh).

but the biggest aspect that'll draw players is the combat. time crisis? come on. i was never a fan of on-rail shooters, though this game isnt fully mapped on rails, the combat is. i was a little dissaapointed to see that the developers decided to take this route. on a preview, one said "We're going to have to play the shooting sequences a bit more before determining how much we like them" but, the fact that the game only throws you into this sequence during combat, it might feel more fresh to me, and not a redundent, arcaric, pick-up-and-play mess like an arcade game. also, as a reward for rescuing survivors, you earn points to purchase and customize weapons, which to me, should add some depth to the gun play.

overall, im not gonna be one of those "reservaton players" who'll get it on the first day. i doubt it'll be a steller title, but am happy to see that nintendo is branching off in a... well "different" direction (considering nintendo is more or less the innovator of the industry and this game doesnt look as fresh as some of its other titles). most likely ill purchase the game, its nice to see a more core oriented title on wii.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq3uF_KntDk

ok, as much as ive bashed adam sessler in the past, after watching his "sesslers soap box" my attitude towards him has done a complete 360 after seeing "bigots on xbox live" and "resident uncomfortable". i now have high respects for him.

now he talks about wii and makes a very good point that ive been trying to shove down the throats of some of the ignorant fellow nintendo fanboys out there. a direct quote containing the point im refering to is, "... because, i feel that the person who's buying the high school musical game to play on the wii, isnt someone u can relay upon to buy wii games three years down the line"

stop. lets look at that point. ive gotten responces to come of my comments saying, "oh, u cant accept the fact that ur not apart of nintendo's vision anymore" or, "nintendo is broadening their demographic target. why cant u accept that?" now im no idiot. atleast not today. i fully understand nintendo's business strategy in targeting a casual audience, being that is has been so successful for them which is y they have been the undisputed console champion since its launch. but, the audience its targeting, being that they're casual, also arent the most dedicated consumers in the gaming market. so, what does nintendo plan to do as the casuals start to die off (and believe me, there already has who have deviated their attention away from it, and there will be even more down the line as casuals pay less and less attention to the wii) or as adam makes a similar point, "i dont really know hwtas going to happen with the wii down the line and if u r one of those casual wii buyers, y arent u buying more games?"

Nintendo fans are no strangers to disapointment. As the mainstream gaming indusrty moves in a specific direction, as one man refered to as "the obvious choice", Nintendo loves to be different. It is both a blessing and a curse. Nintendo is undoubtedly one of the more major piorneers of the indusrty because of turning the other cheek and heading down a different path. Many developers reference to Nintendo's flagship titles (Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc); recently I read about Batman Arkham Asylum and how the developers took some of their ideas from Zelda/Metroid's design on how to gain new equipment that will allow you to make further progress throughout the game (also Dark Siders made the same reference). But this also poses a major problem, particularly for the consumors.

If any of you have looked at a sit-down with developers, you might have run across some that pointed out that looking at gamers' opinions played apart of their development process, extracting ideas to add contant to their game. Ill take this chance to mention a game that some of you might not have heard about, PyroBlazer.

In an interview with the CEO of Eipix, Mirko Topalski, he was asked, "You have some online forums at EipixUniverse.com, and I noticed that you take ideas & suggestions from the gamers. Have there been useful suggestions so far, and do you think developers should pay attention to audience more often?"

He answered definitly yes. Miyamoto mentioned several times, most recently and this past E3 (FAILURE!) that he develops games that puts a smile on peoples faces. Now with out getting into the whole hardcore/casual conflict, how true is this for the hardcore? Correct me if Im wrong, but Nintendo, to me, isnt really known for listening to its audience. They go on about their mary way, conjoring up their own ideas, sometimes its a phenomenal success (many as we all know can be used as examples), others make u wonder, "wtf were they thinking", and most times they just simply dont do what seems to be an obvious, benefitial success. Now i could go on and on on how this could sevearly hurt Nintendo in the future, but that's not worth my time. Simply, I just want to know if Nintendo listens to their dedicated fan base, and if not, why?

Castlevania Judgment has been announced by Konami Digital Entertainment, as a (wait for it...) fighting game for the Wii. It claims to bring together the cast of characters from the franchise's history, much like released titles such as Mortal Kombat Armageddon and more.

Konami's Vice President of Marketing entertainment Anthony Crouts states that they plan to make a game that sets itself from the rest (they sure got that right), and that the wii's unique controller along the Castlevania's immense cast, sets up for an ideal fighting game. All the usual mechanics and features include, again, a large cast to choose from, attacking via motion control, etc. The game is also said to include interactive environments; players can even use monsters on the field and set them up as traps. Players will also have the opportunity to fight against each other via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

No doubt a complete genre flip will concern players, including myself. Crossing fighters with action/adventure has held a consistant bad reputation. Examples include: Mortal Kombat, Soul Calibur 3 (its story mode), Virtua Quest for the Gamecube, the most recent Soul Calibur Legends, the list goes on. To take a franchise that has banked on its castle crawling style gameplay, incorperated with its famed customization and turn that into a fighter seems very risky, especially for core Wii gamers who are just fed up with half assed shovelware; this game potentially doesn't seem to help Wii's infected library. But, as actual journalists do, i wont give this game a score of, "THIS GAME SUCKS." Not much of the game has been revealed yet, so we shall wait and see.

Roughly half a year ago, IGN's Nintendo editor and chief, Matt Cassamassina, teased in podcast about dark games that he had yet to revial which were exclusive to the Wii. On Valentines, Deadly Creatures was finally revialed. Information was unvailed on Rainbow Studios new Wii exclusive that players will take the roll of both a scorpion and a tarantula in this unique action title.

In past interviews, developers enphisized their attempts to orchestrate an experience which will bring down players to the brutal level of these creepy critters. They also hinted that each character will progress through a number of different obsticles and enemies (snakes, lizard, etc), and finally confronting the ultimate challenge, man. Both the scorpion and the tarantula are different, each having thier own forte. The scorpion specializes in brute force, approaching each battle in straight foward fashion utilizing its pincers and poisonious tail. On the other hand, the tarantula is an eight legged version of a ninja, clinging to walls while waiting to ambush its enemies, incampacitating them with its silk. These polarizing combat systems sets for diverse gameplay allowing players to approach situations differently depending on the creature. Not only does Deadly Creatures attempt to be one of the more original themed titles on Wii, it also wants to strike players with its visual presentation. So far, Deadly Creatures delivers sharp visuals and textures. Even the hairs on the spider's legs are suprisingly vivid, as it may seem that each individual hair is rendered. This in particular is exiting because it has been said many times before that the best looking Wii games use a particular visual style outside of realism ala Super Mario Galaxy, Zack and Wiki, Okami and others. Most games that take the realistic approah tend to end up looking muddy (Nitro Bike, Medal of Honor Heroes 2, Call of Duty 3, or any WWII game for that matter). This game does a fantastic job in renduring griddy, realistic environments like none has done before on Wii. Deadly Creatures' developers also state that they intend to wrap the controls around the Wiimote, not like forced, pasted controls like the majority. Examples include swining motions command the scorpion to swing down its tail, or unlockable gestures like swinging the mote side to side to have the scorpion sweep enemies off their feet. With the taratula, skipping the basics, players will be allow to point exactly where they want to shoot its spider web.

Along with Capcom, THQ is shaping up to be one of Wii's better third party developers who are also bringing the anticipated de Blob to Wii. Unlike most original ideas, this one is looking quite well with its sharp visuals, and an original dark and griddy theme (atleast for Wii). Nintendo fans, keep an eye out for this one if you haven't already. It is hopeful that this game gets lots of promotion followed by meaty sale numbers, Deadly Creatures looks well deserving of it.

http://wii.ign.com/objects/142/14235413.html

the question is what makes a game a ten. obviously we all have different "opinions" since many journalists gave gta a 10 on a 100 point scale , and many seem to agree with it . personally i think that a perfect 100 can only be given to games that have fine presentational value from graphics, to music, etc. there has to be decent length to the game (over 10 hrs) or some forn of replay value. and most importantly the gameplay has to be overwhelmingly immersive and so damn close to perfect that it pushes the the genre.

i dont believe gta has accomplished that. from the time niko arrived in america to the when he finally capped jimmy pegerino, it seeemed to me that all the best content in gta existed outside the gameplay. script, vioce acting, motion capture, music, extras, all that was outside the gameplay. the one thing that i thought stood out in the gameplay was th interaction between u and the AI via the euphoria engine. i heard on a postcast that if u want to find anything else u like, just get in a car and hit someone. i love the reaction that u get , and finally not having to deal with ragdoll physics. but the one thing that critics have raved about is what brings gta from achieving a 10 imo, the gameplay. no one can dissagree with the upgrade from the lock on system to a free aim cover system. but some missions in the game didnt compliment the cover system properly, which frushtrates the gameplay. they say thatu can use everything for cover, unfortunately not everything should be used in that manner. also often when stationed in tight spaces, its far too easy to accidentally take cover behind that leaves u open to enemy fire. another isse with the cover system is sometimes the aim draggs, making u to readjust it and take aim again. other debatable issues can fall in repettitive missions, and anarchy like multiplayer

with all these issues in the game, to me there's not question that gta doesnt deserve a perfect score. a 5, 10, 20 point scale? that's fine. but 100? 9.8 at best.

if your playing any game where you have to aim a gun and shoot, you expect nothing less than persicion. pc gamers (hermits) troll on console owners when it comes to shooters ranting that nothing can top the accuracy of a mouse and keyboard. true, but that doesnt mean that consoles cant be an enjoyable platform for shooters. ill skip the obvious and expired arguments about the wii mote vs dual analog, and look at things from a different angle.

the gta franchise has finally evolved from their lock on system to a free aim cover system. even though gta isnt classified as a shooter due to the fact that it is known for its sand box gameplay, gta's new combat system is very much an essential part of the 4th installment... even more so than previous games in the series. personally, this is the very reason y i think that Grand Theft Auto IV isnt a 10 quality game on a hundred point system. ill go on a tangent for a second saying that in order for a game to get a perfect 100 points, every major aspect of the game has to be as close to perfect as possible. along with gripping presentation, as little technical difficulties as possible, gameplay has to be flawless, smooth, engaging, and has to set a new standard, even revolutionize its genre. this is where gta fails to get a 10. rockstar claims that you as the player can use anything as cover in the game. sounds good in theory, right? unfortunately some missions in the game dont compliment the system properly, forcing u to get better result by running and gunning. one the mission when faustin orders Niko to take out his daughter's biker boyfriend, you eventually get sucked into a shootout in a park using trees as cover. here was where i first noticed that this new combat system isnt all its cracked up to be. take cover behind one tree, and u might notice even though u can aim at the bikers, Niko's unable to shoot them TO BE CONTINUED

since im finally on summer vacation, and i have a bit more time on my hands, ill try to post more like a traditional blogger, posting late news (sorry, this isnt my job) and my input. coincidentally the semester ended with GTA4, and that's been taking up a lot of my time for the past week. but im finally gonna crawl out of my car jacking, prostitute and cop killing hole and keep up to speed with the industry.

the first thing that i ran into was a game called Mad World for the Wii. following the new trend, Mad World will be one of the more violent games on Wii. the game stars the protagonist Jack. if u want to get an idea of what he looks like, he has a striking resembelance to Hell Boy (or u can go on ign and check out the pics). though this game isnt developed or published by Capcom, the team behind it, PlatinumGames, consist of designers who were behind some of Capcom's games: Viewtiful Joe, Okami, and Resident Evil. looking at the teams record, the influence if quit obvious in this title. Mad World uses cell shaded black and white visuals in which designer Shigenori Nishikawa admited that was influence by Sin City. interestingly enough, another one of the four developers, Atsushi Inaba claims that the game isnt using Wii's full hardware, looking at Mad Worlds stunning presentation. mentioed before on IGN, it was advised that if developers want to make a visually stunning game in the Wii, they have to go about it with style. realistic graphics mostly end up looking muddy. Mad World takes note of this. this game is VERY violent, involving Jack armed with a chainsaw dismembering his enemies, plunging sign posts in skulls, hurling them into spikes, litterally ripping hearts out, and much more. Nishikawa briefly mentions a concept called Death Watch, only making a strange comparison to baseball.

it isnt clear when this game will be released, but it seems that the time of PS2 ports and lack of effort is coming to an end. MW is going to be one of the most violent games on the Wii rivaling No More Heroes, and possibly topping most this gen. the team seems to be taking this game very seriously, and i cant wait for another look at the game.