DS Owns the Hearts of Japanese Children

This great post on 4 color rebellion tells a tale of how disappointed Japanese schoolchildren became when they found out that their foreign teacher’s Nintendo DS case contained a PSP. It’s good for a laugh and a smile.

How I Became Sick of Video Games

This is re-posted from the Nintendo Forums with permission of the author, SUPERLUIGI9. The original thread is here. It appears below in its original unedited form.

How I Became Sick of Video Games

Just a few days ago, I watched a video from Gametrailers.com which showed a developer of Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam playing the game with the Wiimote right in his hands. The camera showed the player as well as the action on the screen. It was freakn’ awesome and I think everyone who haven’t seen it should see it now. It was great how the player can just connect in a game like that and it changed my outlook on tilt racing. To be honest, I never really liked the idea of the Wii using the remote as steering wheel… Until I saw that video. I think all racing games can benefit from this technology, and I can say that as a true gamer. It seriously changed the way I looked at gaming. Ever hit a wall when playing a racing game? Well, the Wiimote takes away all that fustration and gives no limit. If you need to do a quick turn, YOU CAN DO IT! You don’t rely on clunky analog sticks and you don’t have to “time it just right” either. I know it might sound a little tacky to you guys, especailly since its been a couple months past E3. But I think all you guys will know what I mean as soon as you play it.

That same day when I watched that video, my parents told me once again I had too many video games. They were talking about how much money I wasted on buying all these games. Of course I tried to back myself up by saying most of the games I bought were bought at value prices. But what they said must of sunk in for some reason. I don’t really know why.

It was also a time where I consider myself a true gamer. I got over 60 games covering almost every genre known to man. Before E3, I was going to buy, of course, a Wii and a PS3 since there were a couple PS2 games I wanted and I never got a PS2. Plus, the 15th Anerversery Sonic the Hedgehog and Tony Hawk Project 8 weren’t coming to the Wii. So I thought that the PS3 would do me well. Then E3 came about and released the PS3 price. What a joke. It would be cheaper for me to buy the Xbox 360 and the PS2 than it would for a PS3 (And of course the 360 kept the rumble). So I decided that I’ll get a 360, PS2, and a Wii.

So on that day when I watched that video and my parents told me I was irresponsible, I also decided to watch some next-gen Sonic gameplay. This was E3 demo footage of a guy playing (he was a n00b if you ask me). After waiting for some time for the game to load (people still do that now a-days? Come on, its next-gen, you could be a little like Nintendo and have no load times), the game finally started. Beautiful as expected, Sonic was going through the stage I kept on seeing in screenshots. Now this was a true Sonic level, if you will. Many paths to take, lots of rings, some robots to home attack, and of course: the Sonic speed. Something was wrong though. I was a huge Sonic fan and yet I wasn’t getting excited. I felt a little sick. I assumed it was just because I had the video on full screen watching Sonic going that fast. Perhaps it was because it was hot and I was thirsty. So I got a drink of water. Felt a little better, but something was still wrong. So I resume the video and the guy is now playing as Silver. Wait. What is this? Silver? I thought this game was supposed to get Sonic “back to his roots.” Come to find out that Silver’s level was actually pretty good in video game thinking. You get to move things around with your mind similar to Destroy All Humans. I thought this would make a good separate game (and I believe its a separate story mode as well, so it doesn’t conflict with Sonic’s). So I decided not to complain. But something else bothered me. The noob player died too early and went back to the title screen. Then he accidentally went back to the Sonic level! He didn’t even notice this until the level was done loading. So he does the Sonic level all overagain talking about the game. He said that this was an “exploring” level in the game or something to that effect. He said the full game will have Sonic meeting his other friends and that Shadow will be playable in vehicle format (or something to that effect). He said some levels will consist of Sonic walking around town and talking to people………… WAIT. THIS was supposed to be Sonic “RETURNING TO HIS ROOTS”. What the heck do I hear about him walking around town?????!!??!?! Once again SEGA cannot make a 3-D Sonic game without adding some other extra game play elements. This sounds just like the Sonic Adventure games. Sure, the first level has Sonic running in blasting speed, then he just walks around and solves puzzles!! Why can’t they just make a Sonic game like Sonic Rush, but in 3-D?? So Sega does nothing new to their beloved franchise. It puts the poor hedgehog to shame.

Greatly upset, I go to the videos for Tony Hawk Project 8. I’ve already seen the stupid trailer of skating just moving in slow motion. So I go to the gameplay footage. So I’m watching this thing and I can’t figure out why they are moving so darn slow! Then he moves a bit normal and then slow again. Then he jumps on a giant piano keyboard. I say “oooh”! It lookes really cool and I can imagine an entire level in Tony Hawk with musical instruments much like Sonic did in Sonic Advance 2. Then he moves in slow motion again. I say “What the heck??!?!” Then I see a 180 degree turn (not the skater. the camera). What a complete load of crap. They called this gameplay? Last time I checked, Tony Hawk was not a Prince of Persia title. If a “slow-mo” mode is in the game, I think that’s really pathetic. I think it was to show the graphics. That is also pretty sad because the graphics on Project 8 aren’t even that great compared to other next-gen games. So I’m just watching a bunch of fake polygons moving in slow motion acting as if it was the coolest thing in the world. Then that feeling came back and more so than ever. I felt really, really sick. It was hard because I tried to get excited about Project 8, but there was just no way to get excited! There was nothing to get excited about. So I looked at the front pages of the PS3 and 360 sections only to realize there are no other games that interest me! I didn’t know why. Then it finally came to me: nothing’s changed. Nothing changed! All these games were remakes of games I’ve already played. They just have better graphics and they advertise them as something to “experience”. Complete false advertising.

So I was thinking to myself: Do the games I have NOW have anything original? Do the games I have on my wishlist really excited me? The answer was no. The only title that had any happiness in the future was Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat (which I still haven’t gotten yet). And I knew the reason why. Jungle Beat had innovation. It was the only title I had on my wishlist that was a new way to play. All the other titles were sequels of games I liked, remakes, or new games I’ve never played but have the same elements of my old games. I didn’t want it to be true because I was becoming a hard core gamer. I tried to lie to myself saying that these games can still offer new experiences. So I looked at the videos of games I wanted. Nothing. No excitement. Just me feeling really bad. I knew I spent way too much money on those games and I knew that spending money on these future games will just make me feel worse. Why? Why must I feel sick? None of these games were offering me happiness. I finally realized the decline of gaming. When you play for that long, its bound to get boring. (watch the Decline of Video Gaming to see what I mean)

At the end of the day, I was reminded of Downhill Jam. I remember how unique the controller was. I remember how much I wanted to play it. I also remember that I wanted to play it was a hard core gamer. So I cheered up. The depression went away. I realized that there are new experience yet to come my way. Better yet, the hard core element is there too. As a racing fan, I just love the tilt sensitive controller. Not to mention tons of other innovative titles out there for the Wii. Super Mario Galaxy was the most innovative thinking since I can remember. Heck, even the horse racing game looks exciting because you can use the Wiimote as a whip. Trust me guys, Nintendo gots something here. It shouldn’t be long until all video games are played in this new way. Thank God.

Tokyo Game Show

Okay, I’ll just come out and admit it. I’ve been so incredibly preoccupied with with the deluge of news about Okami for the PlayStation 2 (especially Mielke’s fantastic week-long coverage on 1UP) that I haven’t had a good idea for a think piece in quite a while.

However, I did want to share that I will be attending the Tokyo Game Show for the first time this year. If you have requests for reflections on any games, make them known before September 20th! Though my primary focus is seeing how Wii titles have from E3 have improved since May and what new titles are in the works, I will try not to have the same Wii tunnel vision that I had at E3.

Mom Plays 360

I couldn’t let this one slide even though it technically isn’t about Nintendo’s technologies. A gamer has his mother spend some time with an XBox 360 and write her comments on the experience. I will tie it to the site with this quote:

I know that with the Wii, you can move around and go through certain physical actions that are then replicated on the screen. Of course the games themselves are the most important part, but to me, the whole controller concept is phenomenal. It’s like you’re entering another world physically. And sometimes I felt like I was in that other world when I was playing the XBOX; like I was being drawn in. Like, when I was playing Marble Blast, it became dizzying, it felt like you’d actually fall off into space.

But getting back to the Wii, it sorta brings you into another dimension. Of course, I don’t understand the technology that allows the machine to do this, it’s kinda mind boggling I think. But also very intriguing. If I had access to one, I’d certainly want to try it. I don’t know anything about the PlayStation 3.

Read the entire (long) article here.

The First Step to Innovation

When looking at the DS and the Wii (especially versus major competitors like the PSP and the PS3), it is common to view them as the same approach to gaming: innovative control. However, there is an important differnce between the DS and Wii than many overlook: the classic control option. In essence, the DS is designed in such a way that without utilizing the touch screen or microphone, it is easy to design a game with traditional feeling controls (Advance Wars: Dual Strike and Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow use traditional controls to great success). The Wii, however, is not expected to afford this option out-of-box.

Now, hear me out here. I do know that the Wii has a “classic controller” accessory. I am also aware of the four GameCube ports on the side/top of the system. However, viewed from the perspective of a first-time gamer or a classic gamer coming out of retirement, the GameCube controller and the classic controller are accessories. What difference does that make? A lot.

In the realm of video game accessories, there are two types: pack-in accessories and stand-alone accessories. A pack-in accessory is generally necessary to play the game with which it is packed and is often of little use in other games. The stand-alone accessory, on the other hand, is either usable on a wide variety of games or is used to replace a pack-in accessory or add multiplayer to a game that requires such. Furthermore, as far as console games go, there are three types of games: those which utilize only the main controller, those that can be enhanced by an optional accessory, and those that require the use of an accessory other than the main controller. We have enough categories here to get a good Venn diagram going.

Surely by now your mind is filled with examples of the different types of accessories and the games that utilize them. Guitar Hero for the PS2 requires a pack-in accessory. Metroid Prime: Hunters and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time for the DS can be augmented by a rumble pack which can be purchased separately and is a pack-in accessory for Metroid Prime Pinball. What I’d like to focus on is one particular intersection of gaming and accessories: the type of game that requires an accessory other than the main controller that it does not necessarily include.

At first it may be hard to think of such games, but they certainly exist. Just about every Dance Dance Revolution has a configuration with no dance pad. Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat for the GameCube is also available without the bongo controller. However, compared to most console games, this type of game is extremely rare. Only the most premium of franchises can expect impressive sales on software that requires an accessory that it may not include. The accessory’s added price is a strong deterrent for most buyers especially if the price of the software alone is already comparable to other games before purchasing the necessary accessory.

So what’s the point? For a Wii owner without a GameCube, the first game that requires the GameCube or Wii classic controller is going to be more expensive. That alone is enough to keep many people from buying these types of games. It won’t be as bad as trying to sell Eye Toy software since a classic controller is much more useful, but it still represents an added expense that many gamers will probably be hesistant to stomach.

So with the riskiness of creating a Wii game that needs the classic or GameCube controller, why would anyone ever not just design their games for the Wii-mote? GameSpot quotes Square Enix’s Yoichi Wada as saying, “You really have to dig deep within yourself to produce something new; you can’t force it. We must change. But if we change all at once, the system will collapse, and since our profits are built on that system, it’s a difficult question.” I believe Nintendo also realized this same truth and decided to include GameCube ports on the system to that end.

With the Wii controller’s lack of a second analog stick and relative shortage of buttons, designing straight console ports from PS3 and XBox 360 will be a difficult affair. The port will either have to play completely differently on the Wii or utilize the GameCube or classic controller, an accessory these games are unlikely to include. This means extra cost for the customer. The option is there, though, and if the franchise is big enough (like Super Smash Bros. Brawl, for instance), people will spend the extra money. Otherwise, it’s probably a waste of resources to skirt the Wii-mote for all but AAA franchises that have very specific control requirements built around current-generation controllers.

Perhaps it comes with the territory of being the underdog in the console race, but Nintendo was very careful not to exclude developers that cannot see how to effectively utilize the Wii’s unique controller in their offerings. However, by making other controllers optional accesories, Nintendo can make all but the most foolhardy Wii developers take a stab at developing for the new input device. This is in contrast to the DS which, while having several innovative elements, did not force developers to utilize them at all. Still, with control methods as unusual in console gaming as touch screens, microphones, and 3D motion sensing controllers, it’s hard to imagine developers not being tempted at least a little to utilize these technologies.

Rather than forcing these unusual control methods down the throats of developers, Nintendo has taken the first step to innovation: giving the developer something new with which to work alongside something more familiar. With luck, the seeds sown in innovative controls will reach fruition in a number of new and exciting gameplay experiences that we can all enjoy. In the meantime, the hardcore gamer will have something at least somewhat familiar in his/her hands from time to time to ease the transition to Nintendo’s new vision of interactivity.

What is WiiDS?

What is WiiDS?
Garden of WiiDS is a Nintendo-themed blog that seeks to explore the implications of Nintendo’s decision to give portable and console gameplay its first major control overhaul in about twenty years. The word “WiiDS” in particular is a clever, no, freaking brilliant combination of the names of the consoles that are ushering Nintendo into this new age of innovative control, the Wii and the DS.

Who are you?
I am a fan of innovative gaming on consoles, computers, and arcade machines. My three strongest interests are music, computing, and Japan, and my video gaming tastes tend to reflect this. I am not an industry insider, journalist, or game developer. I’m just a guy who loves great games.

Are you a Nintendo fanboy?
I suppose that depends on your definition of fanboy. If you mean a person who supports a game developer or game franchise in such a way that regardless of the quality of the output (s)he declares it to be great, then absolutely not. Nintendo has published a lot of good games and a lot of terrible ones as well. However, Nintendo appears to me to be the only console manufacturer willing to state that the current video game market cannot subsist as it currently is. I applaud their effort to bring something fresh to the video gaming market, but if the Wii fails, I won’t cry myself to sleep at night.

What do you think about other consoles?
Well, I own a DS Lite, Gamecube, Playstation Portable, and a PlayStation 2. I play my DS far more than anything else right now followed by my Playstation 2, GameCube, then PSP. I don’t regret having purchased any of them, but I would most willingly part with my PSP. There is only so long one can play Lumines.

Would you consider the purchase of any other next-generation consoles besides the Wii?
I honestly can’t ever see an XBox 360 occupying a spot in my home entertainment setup, and Sony is getting dangerously near being what Nintendo was just before it was dethroned. I would consider a PlayStation 3 maybe two or three years down the line, but Sony’s arrogance and ridiculous price point make me want to steer clear of them for the time being. As for Microsoft, their systems to date have catered particularly to the hardest of the hardcore, and I can’t think of a single game for either of XBoxes that defied classification or made me think, “Now that’s a good idea for a game.”

To what game(s) are you most looking forward right now?
I can’t wait to get my hands on Okami and Guitar Hero 2 on PS2, and The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess will certainly be a Wii launch day purchase for me. I also can’t wait to get my hands on the final versions of Elebits, Red Steel, Super Mario Galaxy, and WarioWare: Smooth Moves, and be lying if I said that Rayman: Raving Rabbids hasn’t caught my attention as of late. There are roughly ten other games that I would consider purchasing this year pending postive reviews and the time to play them. Most of these are DS titles.

The DS has proven itself, but why are you so keen on the Wii?
I played it at E3. You can see my reaction after playing Super Mario Galaxy on the Nintendo Wii website under the “From E3″ tab in video one of the third set of videos. I’m the guy with the afro, and that freeze frame has to be the worst ever. Put simply, after E3, I really believed that Nintendo could pull off what they hope to accomplish.

The Next Level

An excellent article entitled “Nintendo Hits the Next Level” has been published on TheStreet.com exploring the widespread success of the Nintendo DS and the popularity of the forthcoming Wii.

Ubisoft Backs the Horse

According to Joystiq, the Nintendo DS has become Japan’s fastest selling video game console ever with nearly 8% of the Japanese population owning one. It is reportedly outselling all other video game consoles in Japan combined.

Now seems as good a time as any to look back with fondness at the day I realized that the Nintendo DS was poised to dominate: August 22, 2005. This day marked the simultaneous release of the first three versions of Nintendogs and Advanced Wars: Dual Strike, the latter of which I am currently playing and enjoying to no end. Though Advance Wars: DS is arguably a better game, Nintendogs brought non-gamers in droves as did Brain Age after it. The release of New Super Mario Bros. in May of this year sealed the deal by bridging the gap between modern and classic gamers.

In all this time, there have been a large number of great third-party games that have been mostly overlooked. The platform released in 2004 is just now picking up steam thanks to Nintendo’s innovative first-party releases, and many who ignored the original DS launch are now searching for copies of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Trauma Center: Under the Knife, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Meteos, and others. The early showing of support by these third-party companies is starting to pay off again as demand for these titles has increased during the dry summer months while gaming studios that predicted that the PSP would own the portable market are likely scrambling to bring their first worthy title to the DS.

With news about the Wii’s release date and price on the horizon (if I were a betting man, I’d bet on the keynote at Leipzig), Nintendo is poised to make a remarkable comeback in the home console industry. Only this time Nintendo won’t have to do all the persuasion by themselves. According to IGN, Ubisoft is preparing not two but seven titles for the Wii launch window. Talk about a strong vote of support; with Red Steel, Rayman: Raving Rabbids, Far Cry, Blazing Angels, Monster 4×4, and GT Pro in development specifically for the Wii, I wonder who is the fanboy here, Ubisoft, or the guy with the Nintendo-themed blog?

Moreover with Rayman: Raving Rabbids stealing the cover story for the September issue of Nintendo Power and recent whispers of improved swordplay and user-scalable aiming sensitivity in Red Steel, it’s clear that Ubisoft is going to have a nice Christmas. In fact, I think we all will.