Or at least, it will be, in about, oh, 14 hours. If you wanna get a direct feed of the Nintendo Press Conference, I suggest Gamespot. I used them for last year's show, and I encountered no lag or cut-outs whatsoever.
The conference starts at 9:00 AM Pacific. This timezone converter oughta help you find out when it's starting in your neck of the woods. And no, I'm not Al Roker.
So then, set your alarm clocks and prepare for E3!
The Duck Has Spoken.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Final E3 predictions
Well, E3 is now less than 24 hours away. I say it's time for me to render one last series of predictions as to what we should expect this year. Think of this as a sort of extension to one of last month's articles, "What will E3 bring?" (I think this is where I'm supposed to say "I have NO inside info".)
Extremely likely predictions
Square-Enix will announce some amazing new title
Yes, I know, this is vague. But honestly, vague is as good as anyone's guess when it comes to the intensely secretive Square-Enix! My guess is we'll see an original franchise or something from them exclusively for the Wii or the DS, and perhaps another Final Fantasy remake or two (The ever-popular Final Fantasy VII?). We may also get some solid North American release dates for Dragon Quest IX, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates OR Crystal Bearers or It's a Wonderful World. Whatever it is, it'll be great.
Nintendo will reveal some absolutely ASTONISHING hidden feature of the Wii
Nintendo systems often have one or two unknown functions programmed into them. Some fantastic new feature accessible only through software or something like that. I suspect the Wii is no different. Remember the DS Option Paks, the little GBA-like cartridges inserted into Slot 2? The DS had the firmware for this in it from the start, yet nobody knew of it's existence until Nintendo told them. Just imagine what secrets the Wii could be holding within it's hardware... I can't even begin to guess what!
An old, abandoned Nintendo franchise will make a return
Well, this isn't exactly my prediction, as Matt Casamassina of IGN said this in the last Wii-kly podcast. However, I do have a few predictions as to what will be coming back! Kid Icarus, Pilotwings, Dr. Mario and Earthbound are all begging to make a comeback!
Animal Crossing, Star Fox and Mario Kart will be shown for the Wii
I have the utmost belief that at least two of these will be shown for the Wii this week. Perhaps behind doors, but they will be shown nonetheless. This games are essential for the Wii's continued success, and thusly must be unveiled soon. They will also help pave the way for a bright future for the Wi-Fi Connection on Wii.
New Wii colors will be revealed and dated
Nintendo is infamous for releasing their consoles in many different colors, and I suspect the Wii shall be treated the same. What colors and when they'll be released are beyond me, but I'm nearly POSITIVE they'll announce them.
New and amazing Wii Channels will be revealed
With the SD card slot being so grossly underused, Nintendo has to do something soon to justify it's existence. I'm thinking a Media Channel, where you can watch your favorite clips and listen to your favorite music off of a SD card. Also, maybe we'll hear more about the Mii Popularity Channel, which has since long passed it's original April 2007 release date in Japan. Of course, they'll most likely reveal something so amazing that it's beyond even my vast imagination.
Less likely predictions
The next DS will be shown
The Nintendo DS has been around for almost three years now, so I expect we'll see the next model fairly soon. And I'm not talking a redesign, I mean a true successor, like what the Game Boy Advance was to the Game Boy Color. But, with the DS already selling as well as it is, there's really no reason to announce another so soon.
Nintendo will be announced as a publisher for Sadness
Small-time developer Nibris has been having some trouble finding someone to publish their new game, Sadness. It was rumoured that they already found a company to do so, but later on it was revealed that the deal had fallen through. I think Nintendo is just the right company to publish Sadness. But, I also somehow doubt it at the same time.
Almost certainly not happening
Zelda Wii will be revealed
We all know that Zelda Wii was already in production when Nintendo decided to port Twilight Princess from the GameCube, meaning the game is already somewhat completed. But releasing it so soon after Twilight Princess? I mean, it's been less than a year! No, I don't think this will be happening at all.
So those are my new predictions for E3 2007. Now we must simply wait to see if any come true!
...the wait is killing me!
The Duck Has Spoken.
Extremely likely predictions
Square-Enix will announce some amazing new title
Yes, I know, this is vague. But honestly, vague is as good as anyone's guess when it comes to the intensely secretive Square-Enix! My guess is we'll see an original franchise or something from them exclusively for the Wii or the DS, and perhaps another Final Fantasy remake or two (The ever-popular Final Fantasy VII?). We may also get some solid North American release dates for Dragon Quest IX, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates OR Crystal Bearers or It's a Wonderful World. Whatever it is, it'll be great.
Nintendo will reveal some absolutely ASTONISHING hidden feature of the Wii
Nintendo systems often have one or two unknown functions programmed into them. Some fantastic new feature accessible only through software or something like that. I suspect the Wii is no different. Remember the DS Option Paks, the little GBA-like cartridges inserted into Slot 2? The DS had the firmware for this in it from the start, yet nobody knew of it's existence until Nintendo told them. Just imagine what secrets the Wii could be holding within it's hardware... I can't even begin to guess what!
An old, abandoned Nintendo franchise will make a return
Well, this isn't exactly my prediction, as Matt Casamassina of IGN said this in the last Wii-kly podcast. However, I do have a few predictions as to what will be coming back! Kid Icarus, Pilotwings, Dr. Mario and Earthbound are all begging to make a comeback!
Animal Crossing, Star Fox and Mario Kart will be shown for the Wii
I have the utmost belief that at least two of these will be shown for the Wii this week. Perhaps behind doors, but they will be shown nonetheless. This games are essential for the Wii's continued success, and thusly must be unveiled soon. They will also help pave the way for a bright future for the Wi-Fi Connection on Wii.
New Wii colors will be revealed and dated
Nintendo is infamous for releasing their consoles in many different colors, and I suspect the Wii shall be treated the same. What colors and when they'll be released are beyond me, but I'm nearly POSITIVE they'll announce them.
New and amazing Wii Channels will be revealed
With the SD card slot being so grossly underused, Nintendo has to do something soon to justify it's existence. I'm thinking a Media Channel, where you can watch your favorite clips and listen to your favorite music off of a SD card. Also, maybe we'll hear more about the Mii Popularity Channel, which has since long passed it's original April 2007 release date in Japan. Of course, they'll most likely reveal something so amazing that it's beyond even my vast imagination.
Less likely predictions
The next DS will be shown
The Nintendo DS has been around for almost three years now, so I expect we'll see the next model fairly soon. And I'm not talking a redesign, I mean a true successor, like what the Game Boy Advance was to the Game Boy Color. But, with the DS already selling as well as it is, there's really no reason to announce another so soon.
Nintendo will be announced as a publisher for Sadness
Small-time developer Nibris has been having some trouble finding someone to publish their new game, Sadness. It was rumoured that they already found a company to do so, but later on it was revealed that the deal had fallen through. I think Nintendo is just the right company to publish Sadness. But, I also somehow doubt it at the same time.
Almost certainly not happening
Zelda Wii will be revealed
We all know that Zelda Wii was already in production when Nintendo decided to port Twilight Princess from the GameCube, meaning the game is already somewhat completed. But releasing it so soon after Twilight Princess? I mean, it's been less than a year! No, I don't think this will be happening at all.
So those are my new predictions for E3 2007. Now we must simply wait to see if any come true!
...the wait is killing me!
The Duck Has Spoken.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition review
Well then, now that I've had time to fully test out the new control scheme, I feel I'm ready to write that review! BACK TO ADVENTURE!!!
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
ESRB Rating: M for Mature (17+)
Release Date: June 19th, 2007 (North America)
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition has been called one of the Wii's best games yet, right up there with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The Godfather: Blackhand Edition and Super Paper Mario. Is it truly deserving of such an honor? Read on to find out.
Integral to any Resident Evil game is the story, so let's start with that. Players take control of Leon Scott Kennedy, an ex-Raccoon City police officer who now works for the United States government. It's his goal to retrieve the president's daughter, Ashley Graham, from her captors in Spain. But when he arrives at the small Spanish village, the locals are acting rather strangely. They're violent, attacking Leon at first sight. He quickly realizes that this is no ordinary village, and notes the similarities between the villager's behaviour and that of Raccoon City's residents during the T-Virus outbreak four years prior. This storyline is absolutely SOLID, and it ties in very, VERY well with all the other Resident Evils. Masterful.
Even though Resident Evil 4 is little more than a two-year-old GameCube game, the graphics still manage to impress. Leon and all the other living beings are rendered beautifully, and their movement is fairly smooth, if sometimes slightly wooden. Thin shafts of light permeate the dank Spanish countryside, giving Leon just enough light to work with, as well as setting the bleak mood of this spine-tingling survival-horror adventure. Every now and then you'll stumble across a blurry texture or two, but these situations are few and far between. Even though I know the Wii is capable of much more than this, it is still an amazing looking game.
An important part of ANY horror movie or game is the audio. Leon will be standing in the middle of a hedge maze, seemingly alone, when all of a sudden rampant footsteps and growls signal the fast-approaching zombie-dog. Sometimes it'll be hard to hear the canines growling and panting, due to a nearby fountain or something of the like, adding even more to the realism. The music is minimal, which is really ideal for something such as this. You certainly don't need anymore noise pollution getting in the way of hearing approaching enemies! And the voice acting, in stark contrast to that of the original Resident Evils, is well-acted and very clearly audible. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is certainly not a sight (Or a sound!) to be missed.
Well then, now on to the main reason this game was ported to the Wii in the first place: The controls. Since I've already outlined the controls in my impressions, I'll be focusing more on the minute details present during gameplay. Firstly, and most importantly, shooting using the Wii remote and analog stick in tandem is a dream come true, offering incredible accuracy and unmatched aiming speed. Holding the reticule steady with the Wii remote's pointer is worlds easier than holding an analog stick still in an awkward position, as was the case with the GameCube and PS2 versions of the game. In short, Capcom truly outdid themselves with the controls. I just hope to see more games of this style from them in the future, if only to once again experience the pin-point accuracy of Wii remote aiming. In a word: Genius.
What's this game's lastability? Well, if you've never played it before (And thusly have no clue what's going on), it should last you at least 20 hours. After that, there's Mercenaries mode (Basically kill until you die), Separate Ways (Missions following the mysterious Ada Wong) and more! Finishing this game completely will most likely take even the best players upwards of 40 hours, which is well worth the game's measly $30 US price tag.
SUMMARY
Story: 9.3/10
The constant twists and turns of Resident Evil 4's lengthy story mode will make any gamer's head spin, even if it does feel kind of cheesy at times.
Graphics: 9.0
Even though it's no more than what we saw back on the GameCube, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is still an incredibly beautiful game. A few touch-ups here and there with the textures would've been nice, though.
Audio: 8.7
Every sound byte is clear as a bell, and the in-game conversations are very well scripted and acted out. However, some of the randomly said phrases are repeated a little too often. And, as any person who's played this will tell you, one can only hear "HEEEEEEEEELP! LEON!" so many times before they feel like going AWOL.
Controls 9.9
The way this game plays, it's almost as if it was planned for the Wii right from the start. Aiming is flawless, and the ability to make a quick swipe with the knife is great when ambushed. However, moving Leon is a teeny bit clunky, and sometimes the quick knife swipes are a little picky.
Lastability: 9.0/10
The main story portion of this game is incredibly extensive, and even once that's done with, there's still the higher difficulty levels and additional modes. Oh, and before anyone asks, yes, "lastability" IS a word.
Overall: 9.5/10
So in the end, yes, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition does belong in the ranks with Super Paper Mario, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and The Godfather: Blackhand Edition. The controls are solid, the graphics are great, the sound is incredible, and it will last you a long, LONG time. This game is a total steal at $30 US. Buy it. If you're too young, well, buy it, but don't play it! IT WILL FRIGHTEN YOU IN WAYS NEVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE!!! Oh, and they swear a bit. Not for kids.
Well, that is my review of Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition. Has anyone else played this? If so, do you agree with my score? I look forward to your responses.
The Duck Has Spoken.
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
ESRB Rating: M for Mature (17+)
Release Date: June 19th, 2007 (North America)
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition has been called one of the Wii's best games yet, right up there with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The Godfather: Blackhand Edition and Super Paper Mario. Is it truly deserving of such an honor? Read on to find out.
Integral to any Resident Evil game is the story, so let's start with that. Players take control of Leon Scott Kennedy, an ex-Raccoon City police officer who now works for the United States government. It's his goal to retrieve the president's daughter, Ashley Graham, from her captors in Spain. But when he arrives at the small Spanish village, the locals are acting rather strangely. They're violent, attacking Leon at first sight. He quickly realizes that this is no ordinary village, and notes the similarities between the villager's behaviour and that of Raccoon City's residents during the T-Virus outbreak four years prior. This storyline is absolutely SOLID, and it ties in very, VERY well with all the other Resident Evils. Masterful.
Even though Resident Evil 4 is little more than a two-year-old GameCube game, the graphics still manage to impress. Leon and all the other living beings are rendered beautifully, and their movement is fairly smooth, if sometimes slightly wooden. Thin shafts of light permeate the dank Spanish countryside, giving Leon just enough light to work with, as well as setting the bleak mood of this spine-tingling survival-horror adventure. Every now and then you'll stumble across a blurry texture or two, but these situations are few and far between. Even though I know the Wii is capable of much more than this, it is still an amazing looking game.
An important part of ANY horror movie or game is the audio. Leon will be standing in the middle of a hedge maze, seemingly alone, when all of a sudden rampant footsteps and growls signal the fast-approaching zombie-dog. Sometimes it'll be hard to hear the canines growling and panting, due to a nearby fountain or something of the like, adding even more to the realism. The music is minimal, which is really ideal for something such as this. You certainly don't need anymore noise pollution getting in the way of hearing approaching enemies! And the voice acting, in stark contrast to that of the original Resident Evils, is well-acted and very clearly audible. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is certainly not a sight (Or a sound!) to be missed.
Well then, now on to the main reason this game was ported to the Wii in the first place: The controls. Since I've already outlined the controls in my impressions, I'll be focusing more on the minute details present during gameplay. Firstly, and most importantly, shooting using the Wii remote and analog stick in tandem is a dream come true, offering incredible accuracy and unmatched aiming speed. Holding the reticule steady with the Wii remote's pointer is worlds easier than holding an analog stick still in an awkward position, as was the case with the GameCube and PS2 versions of the game. In short, Capcom truly outdid themselves with the controls. I just hope to see more games of this style from them in the future, if only to once again experience the pin-point accuracy of Wii remote aiming. In a word: Genius.
What's this game's lastability? Well, if you've never played it before (And thusly have no clue what's going on), it should last you at least 20 hours. After that, there's Mercenaries mode (Basically kill until you die), Separate Ways (Missions following the mysterious Ada Wong) and more! Finishing this game completely will most likely take even the best players upwards of 40 hours, which is well worth the game's measly $30 US price tag.
SUMMARY
Story: 9.3/10
The constant twists and turns of Resident Evil 4's lengthy story mode will make any gamer's head spin, even if it does feel kind of cheesy at times.
Graphics: 9.0
Even though it's no more than what we saw back on the GameCube, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is still an incredibly beautiful game. A few touch-ups here and there with the textures would've been nice, though.
Audio: 8.7
Every sound byte is clear as a bell, and the in-game conversations are very well scripted and acted out. However, some of the randomly said phrases are repeated a little too often. And, as any person who's played this will tell you, one can only hear "HEEEEEEEEELP! LEON!" so many times before they feel like going AWOL.
Controls 9.9
The way this game plays, it's almost as if it was planned for the Wii right from the start. Aiming is flawless, and the ability to make a quick swipe with the knife is great when ambushed. However, moving Leon is a teeny bit clunky, and sometimes the quick knife swipes are a little picky.
Lastability: 9.0/10
The main story portion of this game is incredibly extensive, and even once that's done with, there's still the higher difficulty levels and additional modes. Oh, and before anyone asks, yes, "lastability" IS a word.
Overall: 9.5/10
So in the end, yes, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition does belong in the ranks with Super Paper Mario, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and The Godfather: Blackhand Edition. The controls are solid, the graphics are great, the sound is incredible, and it will last you a long, LONG time. This game is a total steal at $30 US. Buy it. If you're too young, well, buy it, but don't play it! IT WILL FRIGHTEN YOU IN WAYS NEVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE!!! Oh, and they swear a bit. Not for kids.
Well, that is my review of Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition. Has anyone else played this? If so, do you agree with my score? I look forward to your responses.
The Duck Has Spoken.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
One Duck's Opinion is NOT shutting down!!!
The person saying that in the Chat Box is NOT the real PsychoDuck! I'm just getting comfortable with the blog, actually, so I sure as hell won't be shutting down anytime soon!
Jeez, I was afraid this would happen... The problem with the Chat Box is there's no way to verify who's who. There is the possibility of a log-on system, but it costs money that I don't have.
However, even though this huge flaw exists, I will be keeping the Chat Box as it helps readers give me more direct feedback.
Also, everyone feel free to e-mail me if you must. This is my e-mail address. If for any reason any of you guys need to contact me, now you know how. My e-mail has also been added to the sidebar for future reference, just look between the posting schedule and personal links.
Once again, the blog is NOT shutting down!
Keep on gamin', folks!
The Duck Has Spoken.
Jeez, I was afraid this would happen... The problem with the Chat Box is there's no way to verify who's who. There is the possibility of a log-on system, but it costs money that I don't have.
However, even though this huge flaw exists, I will be keeping the Chat Box as it helps readers give me more direct feedback.
Also, everyone feel free to e-mail me if you must. This is my e-mail address. If for any reason any of you guys need to contact me, now you know how. My e-mail has also been added to the sidebar for future reference, just look between the posting schedule and personal links.
Once again, the blog is NOT shutting down!
Keep on gamin', folks!
The Duck Has Spoken.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Wii graphics: What's the deal with them?
Really not much of an intro needed here, so I guess I may as well get on with the article!
We all know by now that the Wii isn't anywhere near as strong as the Playstation 3 or the XBox 360, but it's still at least twice as strong as the Gamecube. However, judging by the games released thus far, you really wouldn't know the Wii's graphics have been improved at all!
So far, the best graphics we've seen could have easily been pulled off on the Gamecube. Heck, the two best looking games on the Wii (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition) were Gamecube games in the first place! Now, I'm usually the last person to truly give a damn about graphics, but come on, can't we at least show some effort, people?
Is this as good as it gets?
When I first played Resident Evil 4, I was completely blown away by it's graphics. It was dark, gritty, and above all extremely creepy! The lighting was brilliant and the massive amount of enemies was mind-blowing!
That was way back in 2005, people, on the now obsolete Gamecube. Here we are two years later, with the Wii, and this is still basically the best looking thing we've got. I KNOW the Wii is more powerful than this, but few developers have proven it to me thus far.
But, this looks to not be the case for much longer. Check out the latest trailer for Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. This is all running on an IN-GAME engine! Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3 are other great examples of the Wii's power.
So in the end, I guess there really isn't too much to worry about. The Wii is much more powerful than current games would make you believe.
But even if the Wii was no more powerful than the Gamecube, all that matters is the fun we have playing the games.
The Duck Has Spoken.
We all know by now that the Wii isn't anywhere near as strong as the Playstation 3 or the XBox 360, but it's still at least twice as strong as the Gamecube. However, judging by the games released thus far, you really wouldn't know the Wii's graphics have been improved at all!
So far, the best graphics we've seen could have easily been pulled off on the Gamecube. Heck, the two best looking games on the Wii (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition) were Gamecube games in the first place! Now, I'm usually the last person to truly give a damn about graphics, but come on, can't we at least show some effort, people?
Is this as good as it gets?When I first played Resident Evil 4, I was completely blown away by it's graphics. It was dark, gritty, and above all extremely creepy! The lighting was brilliant and the massive amount of enemies was mind-blowing!
That was way back in 2005, people, on the now obsolete Gamecube. Here we are two years later, with the Wii, and this is still basically the best looking thing we've got. I KNOW the Wii is more powerful than this, but few developers have proven it to me thus far.
But, this looks to not be the case for much longer. Check out the latest trailer for Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. This is all running on an IN-GAME engine! Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3 are other great examples of the Wii's power.
So in the end, I guess there really isn't too much to worry about. The Wii is much more powerful than current games would make you believe.
But even if the Wii was no more powerful than the Gamecube, all that matters is the fun we have playing the games.
The Duck Has Spoken.
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