The Nintendo Basement Staff ~ Mr_M

Upon reading this title, you are no doubt thinking ‘Oh great, here he goes with another Paddle Controller love fest’, but I will assure you that is not the case. The accessory in question is something completely different, something that has contributed to my DS enjoyment far more than any other. It is a Castlevania 20th Anniversary stylus, one designed for DS Lite which can also extend.

The story goes that since I got this stylus with my special edition of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, it was always my first choice stylus, seeing as the default DS ones are too small and awkward, whereas this one was much more comfortable to use thanks to it’s larger size and extendability feature. However, there is a crack on the top of the stylus which appears to be getting bigger over time, so I decided to buy some generic extendable styluses off Play-Asia (and yes, the price was ridiculous) and keep the CV one as a collectable. Ever since I made the order I’ve been thinking about how within 4 days I will get one or two (I couldn’t tell how many came in the pack ) brand new styluses and be able to retire the CV one.

Wait a minute… what was that word? Retire? Really?

After thinking about it, I realised something: yes, I did use the word retire, and yes, I damn well mean it. I don’t just want to stop using it to prevent it from getting severely damaged, I want to retire this thing with full honours. I want to give it a lap of honour around the nearest EB while showing a highlights video of all the things I ever did with it. Conquering the high seas and dungeons of Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Blasting coloured shapes with unmatched precision in Geometry Wars: Galaxies.  Defeating opposing armies in Advance Wars: Days of Ruin. Wasting whole armies of demons in Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. Dancing like a maniac in Elite Beat Agents. And in recent days, it has proven effective in fending off wave after wave of Clockwork soldiers in Lock’s Quest as well as creating the most inbred pinatas possible in Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise.

The amount of time I spent using this stylus to play DS games is huge, and if I didn’t have this stylus, I would have been using default styluses which are too small to grip effectively and would probably slip out of my hands during games. The CV stylus made touch-based gaming comfortable and fun, and allowed me to fully enjoy a revolutionary new way of playing games. That’s why I feel like a full retirement is an appropriate course of action. A motorcade lap of honour, confetti, the whole shebang. And on the sidelines, you can see all the other gameplay accessories- the Screen Wiper, the Paddle Controller, the thumbstrap I use to play Mario 64 DS, the third-party stylus with the really pointy tip that I use for games that require ridiculous accuracy (ie. picking out tiny blocks in Meteos), and the Dragon Sword stylus that I used once but never used again because it felt too short and awkward- with tears in their eyes as they applaud a true legend of the game.

If this sort of thinking is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

*Not pictured: Confetti, tears.

Some of the people on this site, particularly me and Quatters, have made it clear that importing is the only way to go when it comes to games, especially on region-free handheld consoles.

But with the recent stock market crash, is importing still viable?

Admittedly, it’s still worth it to get games that are being heavily delayed in Australia. That has always been, and will always be, the case. However, at the moment I’m not seeing the same advantages when it comes to price.

Today I went and bought Lock’s Quest and Viva Pinata for DS from JB Hifi. The games are on sale so they’re $49 each. Normally, I would wait until I had finished the other games I was playing and then buy them off Play-Asia or eBay whenever I felt like it. However, because our dollar has plummetted in value, both games are AU$54 each on PA. Postage prices are absolutely ridiculous and in the case of many currently released games, the price advantage has disappeared.

Recently, I also bought a DS game case that holds 6 games off Play-Asia, and the price was up to AU$9, plus about AU$20+ to get it delivered in under 4 days. Of course, there are no better game cases available in Australia so I had to pay the premium, but it’s still pretty infuriating.

I get the feeling that local shops are aware of this development and are starting to capitalise. Stores like JB Hifi and Big W are currently having huge game sales, possibly to make the local prices competitive (for once) and increase local game sales.

Importing is not dead though. Upcoming DS games like Castlevania and Chrono Trigger will be imported because there are still no local release dates for them, and we all know how long handheld Castlevania games are delayed in this country (if you’re waiting for the local release for Order of Ecclesia, I suggest you pencil in March ). Certain accessories will still be imported simply because they’re not available anywhere else (Paddle Controller?). But when it comes to currently released titles, importing no longer seems like a good idea. Until the dollar bounces back, I think I’ll be buying more games from local retailers. Buying more games from local retailers… just typing it feels weird.

What do you think about this issue?

It’s amazing how the DS keeps finding new ways to innovate.

The first thing was that when the touch screen was unveiled, people were looking for innovative uses for the touch screen. After some early hiccups, we’ve seen new ways to control old genres, such as aiming in Metroid Prime or fighting in Ninja Gaiden, along with popular re-imaginings of more niche genres (ie. the virtual pet genre with Nintendogs, the rhythm game genre with Elite Beat Agents).

Then people realised that there was scope for the two screens to be used in practical ways. Yoshi’s Island DS and Contra 4 showed how gameplay can work over both screens. Even in less imaginative games like Castlevania or Advance Wars, using the second screen for a map or info page is so much more convenient then in previous games, where those things were pop up menus on the action screen.

Now, it appears that the next great area for innovation on the DS is one that wasn’t even built into the hardware- DS Option Paks.

To begin this explanation, I will discuss Taito’s Paddle Controller. This peripheral is basically a wheel that plugs into the GBA cartridge slot on your DS, and it allows for full analogue control of games that require sideways movement. This may not sound like much, but when you use it to play Arkanoid DS or Space Invaders Extreme, you’ll see what a massive leap forward it is for arcade game control.

This is a control method that is superior to the joysticks used in the original incarnations of the games. This is a control method that makes the DS the number one console for arcade ports. It cannot be replicated in any way on the PSP (the other obvious choice for arcade ports). To date, it has not been replicated on X360, with no like-minded controllers being released for use with the XBLA’s large library of old arcade games. Developers have discovered that they can innovate game control on DS simply because it has a GBA cartridge port. What began as a means of backwards compatibility and a way to keep up GBA game sales is now a pathway to brand new ways of controlling games, particularly our arcade faves. While the PSP and X360’s arcade games have the edge in fancy hi-res visuals, the DS currently flogs them in the control department.

It makes me look to the future with great excitement. Will we soon see an arse-kicking Galaga compilation on the DS (with online multiplayer!), or a port of XBLA’s Galaga Legions? Remakes of Asteroids or Millipede? Any of those games would be excellent if they had Paddle Controller support. Not only that, but newer games could benefit from it- what about a Loco Roco game for DS which allowed full analogue control over the amount of tilt you gave the screen (D-Pad/buttons to split or join, shoulder button to jump )? Or even a compilation of the top-down GTA games which allows you to use the Paddle Controller to turn your character or steer vehicles, allowing for precise aiming and better steering?

But it’s not just the Paddle Controller- the sky is truly the limit for future DS Option Paks! What if a developer replaced the wheel with a Trackball in order to play remakes of Marble Madness or Missile Command? How about an Option Pak which has six buttons on it so that you can play Street Fighter with the proper button layout? Maybe a particularly wide option pak will add left and right joysticks to the bottom of the DS so that direct ports of home console games or sports games (or even 3D platformers like Super Mario 64 DS) can utilise their original control scheme? That last one would mean that developers are no longer forced to create innovative control methods on the DS, but I’d rather see a lazy port with decent controls then a lazy port with an equally lazy abortion of a touch screen control method (FIFA Street 3 anyone?). Developers looking to innovate will continue to do so regardless.

We’ve already seen a bunch of creative ideas in the Option Pak department- the Guitar Hero Controller with four fret buttons, the Rumble Pak, and even a 4GB hard drive that allows you to watch movies or play music on your DS (did they end up releasing that?). The Paddle Controller is simply one of these ideas, but it’s one idea that shows that there is no limit to the kinds of games that can be played on DS! Sure, you can’t do epic open worlds in full 3D too easily, but in terms of control, there is simply no limit for the DS. You start with the standard D-Pad and button layout, you can incorporate the touch screen, and if you don’t like any of those, you can make your own Option Pak tailored to your needs!

I feel that we have probably seen every innovation for the touch screen by now (it’s now a case of refining and improving existing ideas), and the new medium for brilliantly innovative oh-my-God-never-saw-that-coming-but-why-didn’t-anyone-think-of-it-sooner control schemes for DS lies in the field of Option Paks. On that note, I look forward to seeing all of the weird and wonderful Option Paks that developers come up with before the DS’s lifespan ends!

In conclusion, Taito are legends and the DS is the best console of this generation.

Look out for my reviews of Arkanoid DS and Space Invaders Extreme, coming soon!

(If you’re having trouble finding a Paddle Controller, do what I did and head over to www.ebay.com. That’s the American one, but Australian eBay accounts will work there.)

Playing The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction has taught me something: MORE SUPERHERO GAMES SHOULD BE OPEN WORLD GAMES.

After all, the only other one was Spider Man 2 (PS2 and all corresponding consoles), which was also totally awesome, right?

The thing is, most superhero games nowadays get lumped into the ‘movie tie-in’ category, which leads to boring, rushed, poorly programmed renditions of our favourite superheros. The main reason why Ultimate Destruction is an exception is because it wasn’t based on a movie- instead, it was based on the Hulk comics and didn’t have to be rushed to coincide with any film release. On the other hand, Spider Man 2 was a film tie-in, but instead of being based completely on the film, it also drew inspiration from the comics to flesh out the game world, add a cast of interesting villians, and make the game better as a result.

So, with all this in mind, I start thinking to the future- or to be more specific, the Dark Knight tie-in game which will surely be upon us soon.

The Batman Begins game was, according to all reports, a generic beat ‘em up where you ran from area to area, threw objects to make noises and increase your opponent’s fear levels (the token gimmick), and then beat the holy hell out of them with dodgy controls and dull combat. I feel like the Dark Knight game will follow suit, but I say that’s a crock! Just as Spider Man 2 and Ultimate Destruction were a tribute to all the things that made those superheroes great, Dark Knight should be a tribute to everything that’s great about Batman!

So here’s what I propose: The Dark Knight is an open world game, with a 3D rendition of Gotham City to be explored at your own leisure. You have a hideout which acts like a hub, and just like in Crackdown, your hub contains a garage of vehicles- namely, the Batmobile and Batpod- that you can take out into the city. You can also walk around the hub and talk to Alfred to get information (or possibly missions) or talk to Lucius Fox to buy new moves, gadgets, weapons and vehicles. As far as movement goes, you’ve got all the tricks- grappling hook to swing around the city, cape to glide, the ability to climb up buildings, the aforementioned vehicles, and so on. As well as your story missions, the city is littered with side missions and random criminals to beat up. Combat is actually decent and there are heaps of moves and weapons to unlock and buy. And finally, while the main story involves the Joker and Two-Face, the game can also contain all the other popular Batman villians (but no Robin!), such as Catwoman and The Penguin, and they can be visually re-imagined so they don’t look out of place in Nolan’s world. Oh I forgot, the hub also contains vehicles from the comics and such, but they have to be visually re-imagined too.

This is the Batman game I want to play. A real game that makes you FEEL like Batman and embraces the entire Batman universe. Well, except for that lame Adam West TV show. Seriously, if they made a Dark Knight game where you could get ’Anti-Hypnosis Pills’, that would just be ridiculous. Anyway, as I was saying before, this is the Batman game I want to play, but I have a feeling it’s not going to happen. I guess I’ll just have to make do with LEGO Batman.

Thought I should make a new post, since the other bloggers are making me look bad (except for Quatters ).

For those who don’t already know, I have a become a huge El Tigre fan. Less than a fortnight after the review was posted saying that I had ‘never seen the show’, I had indeed seen the show. Fortunately, I researched it pretty well so there’s no need to change anything in the review (thanks Wikipedia and Youtube! ).

But what really gets me is how watching the show makes me realise just how poor the game is. I honestly feel like I have watched more El Tigre than the guys tasked with designing the game, and that really makes me sad. Just like how I said FIFA Street 3 has no idea what street football is about, the El Tigre game has hardly any idea what El Tigre is about!

The first apparent problem involves, surprise surprise, the combat. In the cartoon, the first weapon El Tigre always goes for is his grappling hook arms. That’s right, his hands, which are connected to chains, fire out of his arms to grapple to things or punch enemies at long range. Now obviously it’s difficult the recreate the scenes in the cartoon where he’s grappling things like chandeliers and other environmental objects to use in combat. But haven’t Barking Lizard ever heard of a game called Bionic Commando? In that game, the commando in question can swing from ceilings and stun enemies with his grappling hook arm. Is it really so hard to copy the idea into El Tigre? Though I guess if you had a game where you could jump AND grapple (can’t jump in BC), it would necessitate the need to design decent stages instead of just having open space with nothing to grapple to…

Speaking of the fighting system, I am still very surprised that the main attack (A button, naturally) is a punch. Come on, anyone who looks at the cover can instantly tell that El Tigre’s signature attack is a claw swipe, and the cartoon confirms this assumption. And they couldn’t even add that in? And on the subject of claw swipes, the aerial attack should not have been a dropkick, it should have been El Tigre diving claw-first into his opponent!

The other major problem is with two of the non-playable characters, White Pantera and Grandpapi. As mentioned in the review, they agree on everything. In the cartoon, they’re polar opposites! The only thing they ever agree on is that family is more important than anything (awwwwwwwwww…), but other than that, they’re always arguing and plotting against each other. Whenever Manny takes after his Grandpapi and breaks the law, Pantera doesn’t find some way of justifying it as being a good thing as he would in the game. Instead, he will either scold Manny at the top of his lungs or burst into tears. And as you could probably tell by that sentence, Pantera is way more hilarious in the cartoon than the game makes him out to be. In fact, the game makes him look rather calm and intelligent, whereas in the cartoon he is the most melodramatic brain-dead superhero you could ever hope to meet.

So yes, this turned out to be yet another “game doesn’t live up to source material” rant. However, it’s quite amazing to think that a couple of extra moves and a few re-written pieces of dialogue could have done so much to add to the authenticity of the game. Yeah, it still would’ve been a crap game, but at least it would have been a crap game that provided a better El Tigre atmosphere!

Does anyone remember when handheld game consoles didn’t have backlights?

Thank God we’re past that!

The DS microphone is a funny thing. At first, game developers came up with the idea of ‘blowing into the mic’ to complete certain tasks. Then some genius realised that people usually talk into microphones. Then we got games that asked for both.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is one such game, but rather than programming some sort of voice recognition into the game, it only detects volume. This means that the tasks are interchangeable, and it is possible to simply blow into the mic when you’re supposed to be calling out for someone to lower a bridge. Conversely, in the task where you have to blow dust off a map, you could probably yell “Hey! Get off the map you stupid friggin’ dust!” and it would have the same effect.