Nintendo Enthusiast Summit 2004

Nintendo Enthusiast Summit 2004 - Page 2

Metroid Hunters

The demo on-hand for us at the summit is the same demo that is being packaged with the DS units at launch. The real meat and potatoes of the title was certainly the multiplayer mode. For those who havent heard, the games default control scheme (of which there are 5 of, including the original E3 scheme) mimics the traditional PC first person shooter. On the left you use the directional pad to control your position much like the arrow keys or equivalent for the PC games. With your right hand you move the stylus around to look. To fire you press the L button and to jump you simply double tap the screen. Since all the action actually takes place on the top screen your hands never get in the way, either.

As I was pointing out earlier, the real heart of the game is certainly the wireless multiplayer mode where its as if you had a local area network game on the go. As Im sure you can imagine, when you cannot see your opponents screen the tension is higher than a console split screen game. Likewise, the game is equally competitive with its promotion of real world accuracy over locking-on. For the most part, if you missed your target its because you simply didnt aim properly. I have a feeling this game might surprise a lot of people, especially those who are already experienced with PC shooter games. Add in the fact that its a meaty demo packaged with every DS title and you cant lose. Heres hoping that the finished game has a compelling single player venture as well.

Feel the Magic XX/XY

The first thing I want to point out is that this game makes me happy on some levels simply because it comes from Sega. The company has been absolutely floundering in terms of quality control over the last couple years in my books. This game, however, is like a return to the Sega I once knew back when they were competing for software quality with Nintendo themselves. So on that front, I would say this game deserves instant round of applause.

To describe the game in a phrase would probably be easiest as quirkiness in a box. Everything from the premise to the art is off the wall and yet still cool. The gameplay itself is almost a different take on Wario Ware. There are multiple parts to the game that ask different things of you. The first one I had a chance to play had you trying to get goldfish out of your characters belly by rubbing them towards the esophagus. See, I told you it was quirky. Another made you search in the sand for missing pieces of jewelry. To do so you brush the sand with your stylus as the pieces slowly become visible. Or how about actually blowing on your DS to put out candles? Very novel indeed.

The main question that has yet to be answered is just how long the magic will last. I got the impression that while the games were really cool, we have no clue as to how many there are. With Wario Ware: Mega Microgame$, we knew there were roughly 200 games and that each game had 3 difficulty levels. Its safe to say that if Feel The Magic XX/XY has a good chunk of games it would feel like more than just a novelty.

Mr Driller: Drill Spirits

Admittedly, Drill Spirits was the first time I had played a Mr. Driller game. For a long time now, I had heard of the series great charm and addictive gameplay, but never got a chance to actually play one of the titles. Here was my chance.

Driller is another simple yet complicated idea. This puzzler has you digging as far down as you can get while strategizing how youre going to break up the rocks beneath. If a formation of colored rocks gets a 4th piece of rock dropped onto or next to it, it will disappear. The strategy plays in when you try to dig downwards but make sure that the rocks wont start caving in on you from up above. The interesting feature in this DS version is that the two screens actually help the flow of the game by allowing you to see what kind of structures you left up above. Fans of this series are also big fans of the soundtracks as well. As such, that was one of the first things I checked out. Thankfully that seems to be one of the games strengths with some really catchy tunes.

My launch package will most certainly comprise of a DS system and Mr. Driller if I can help it. Both the sound and addictive gameplay would compliment Mario 64 DS perfectly.

Ridge Racer DS and Urban Asphalt GT

The first thing I thought about this game was that it seemed really early, but still showed some potential. The main draw was perhaps the touch screen steering. For whatever reason I wasnt too keen on the idea before I got my hands on the demo, but after playing with the thumb nub (which, really, is the only way to fly so to speak) I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Getting used to steering takes about a good minute, but then becomes really natural and I much prefer it to using the digital pad in games like Urban Asphalt GT.

Beyond control, the game was definitely still a little rough around the edges. Luckily the actual gameplay was surprisingly fast, since the road-side attractions were decidedly bare. We discovered while there that you could link up to 6 DS units with a single cart to race. Could it be that the visuals were slimmed down to see that the game fits into RAM for the other systems? Im not really certain, but as of now Im taking a wait-and-see approach on this one.

To get another look at racing-gone-handheld is Ubisofts Urban Asphalt GT. The first thing I remarked while playing was how slow it was. The game looked much sharper in terms of visuals, but the sense of speed was noticeably lacking. This was especially apparent coming from Ridge Racer, where the speed is actually quite nice. To be fair, they are two different games. However, with that being said, they are both competing in the racing genre and as such, I have to give the edge to Ridge Racer thus far for superior gameplay. The only things that really stuck out as interesting in Urban Asphalt GT were the neat looking track-side locales and a jump here and there that you could fly off of. Like Ridge-Racer DS, Im taking a wait and see approach to see how this one develops.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

The shocker: Im going to say as little as possible about this game. Going to Redmond, I had not kept up on the online media for this title simply because I wanted to go in fresh without any prior knowledge of locations, creatures, or what have you. If youre like me, then I suggest you keep it up, because youre in for one heck of a surprise. Nintendo asked me what my biggest surprise was, and I had to answer Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, even over the DS. Of course, I was expecting a quality time, seeing as Metroid Prime is one of my favorite games this generation, if not ever. But was I ready for what was in store in the final build of Echoes? Absolutely not. So in an effort to keep you in the dark for just a tiny bit longer I will not divulge any actual details about the game. Instead, I suggest you get a pre-order for the title and find out for yourself.

However, the multiplayer aspect of the game is definitely worth going into detail about. Unfortunately I didnt find it to be all that impressive still. One of the big points both Nintendo and Retro were making is that they didnt want the game to be like a typical first person shooter with the multiplayer. So they went ahead and added all sorts of elements such as rolling in morph ball and lock-on targeting ala Metroid Prime. The end result is a multiplayer mode that really does feel like every other run-of-the-mill first person shooter through sheer mediocrity. Most of the matches truly ended up being button mashing fests with missles thrown in here and there to add more firepower. Yet no matter how many times we tried different configurations I just couldnt seem to warm up to the idea that this was simply tacked on to such an otherwise amazing title.

Make no mistake when you plunk down your cash for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes you are paying, in large part, for a single player experience. Its an amazing single player game that, believe it or not, actually made me even look at Halo 2 in a different light. Theres just something about having to have both reflex and puzzle solving skills in order to survive that is just so exhilarating. You cant just run in guns blazing to beat the game. Im not saying that other games dont at least try such a thing, but I am saying that Metroid Prime 2: Echoes does it better. Period. Do not pass on this one.

Mario Power Tennis

After having spent a good chunk of time with Mario Power Tennis, my first thoughts were: this is truly the best competitive party game since Smash Brothers. That sounds like a bold statement, but Im being deadly serious.

In large part, the modes we are playing are the exact same as the N64 version, but have more polish around the edges. The best thing about Mario Tennis was always the balance, which is out in full force in this iteration. Unlike a game like Mario Kart, the players results lies squarely in the hands of the player himself. There is no randomness to speak of in the plain vanilla modes. Its just you, the other guy, some cool characters and abilities, and some good old fashioned skill. The biggest additions are easily the power shots, which have surprisingly grown on all of us here. There is an important note to make about the power shots though. First, that you always have the same two power shots to choose from an offensive and a defensive. Next, they can be used as an extra strategic element, furthering the actual gameplay depth. If you can play well enough to force your opponent to use his defensive skill to ultimately save his hide, you might have a chance to use your power attack in return to seal a point. However, if you feel that you tire of power shots for whatever reason, just turn them off! Dont you wish you had such an option with Mario Kart, for all those blue-shell haters out there?

Included are also a whole whack of extra courts and modes to try and spice things up. To be perfectly honest, Im not a fan of the gimmick courts. As Im sure you can imagine, tennis is already fast and frantic game as it is. Add in all sorts of crazy stuff like conveyor belts and muck on the ground to get stuck on and you have you end up with pure chaos and confusion. To me, it will be like the extra modes in Smash Brothers. Sure you might play them some time to have a good laugh, but the heart of the competition lies squarely in the standard courts. However, I suppose one could not knock the game for these editions, as the main tennis game is already amazing enough that extras couldnt hurt. After you check out all the different moves available to you and get a couple of the mates over for a party Im sure the game will win you over too. Competitive players look no further for your next big fix.

In case it wasnt apparent above, getting a DS is certainly going to be worth the investment. The stream of excellent games coming out for the system is just fantastic and looks to be shaping up more and more as every week goes by. As for the trip itself, I had a great time in Seattle. I got to meet some excellent people both at Nintendo and otherwise, as well as play some great games. I would like to publicly thank all those at Golin Harris that helped us through the excursion, all the NOA staffers for spending time with us, and the other editors present for being good sports.