Nintendo’s WiiWare Game – Fluidity
Nintendo showed the trailer today at PAX for their soon to be released WiiWare game, Fluidity.
Watch it and let us know what you think:
Conduit 2 Delayed…
NintendoDojo reported today Conduit 2 has been delayed until 2011.
They said, “In an e-mail exchange with Sega and High Voltage public relations in regard to Conduit 2, we were notified that the game’s release date has been pushed back to the first quarter of 2011.”
You can read about the delay, and some new control schemes HVS will be implementing in the game, at the link.
Source: Nintendojo via GoNintendo
and yet it moves Review
And Yet It Moves began its life, like so many recent WiiWare releases, as an indie game developed for the PC. The game has made the move to the Wii and the developers took that opportunity to make some changes to the game. Does that mean it’s worth another look if you’ve already played it, or a first look if you’ve never seen the game before? Read on to find out.
Wonderful Visual Style
And Yet It Moves uses a visual style that is very unique. There have been a lot of games that have been inspired by everyday items to create the game’s world. This game takes that literally. Everything you see is made out of cut out paper. The walls of caves are pieces of paper that have been crumbled up and spread out. The various residents of the world all look like they were drawn on a piece of paper and then cut out. Even the game’s main character is just a pencil drawing on a piece of paper that can move. It’s a wonderful aesthetic that makes for a very memorable visual look to the game.
Puzzle Platforming At Its Best
We’ve all played a number of puzzle games and platformers. We’ve even played some platformers with puzzle elements. The big hook of this game is the ability to rotate the world. There’s no real combat in the game at all, the only obstacles to overcome are from the environment itself. If your platform ends and there’s nowhere to go you’ll simply need to rotate the world and new pathways will open up. The developers have used this mechanic in a number of clever ways. For example, at one point I was walking along a cave floor and the ceiling and floor came so close together that you had to rotate the world 90 degrees, squeeze through this new area and very quickly rotate it back to land on solid ground. In another area there is something blocking the way and the only thing that can clear it is a group of bats that automatically move up in relation to the world. In yet another area I had to get a banana off a tree and rotate the world around so that it would move to a gorilla that was in the way. All of this has to be done without causing your character to fall so far that he dies. It’s a wonderful combination of solving environmental puzzles while keeping the player character alive with traditional platforming elements.
Multiple Control Schemes 
Everyone has their own favorite way to control games on the Wii. It’s the only system with a number of “core” ways to control the game. And Yet It Moves uses nearly all of them. The original PC release limited you to right angle rotation of the world. The Wii version gives you the ability to make rotations from small adjustments to endlessly spinning the world around your character.
You can hold the Wii Remote on its side and control it in a fashion similar to NES games. The Wii Remote and the Nunchuk combination can also be used with the analog stick controlling movement and a twist of the Wii Remote to rotate the world. My favorite way to control the game has to be the Classic Controller, though. The L and R shoulder buttons give you precise control of the world rotation and it made the game much nicer to play. Small amounts of rotation were easy to pull off while you were simultaneously controlling your character.
Campaign Won’t Take Long to Complete
And Yet It Moves is a fairly slow paced game. There are no time limits to worry about. No life counts to make you restart the levels and there are checkpoints every few seconds or so in the game. All this means you won’t have to repeat very long stretches of the game and the campaign can be completed in a little over 2 hours. You may feel somewhat saddened by the length, but there are speed runs to go back and attempt when you’re finished and you may find better solutions to some of the puzzles on a second play through attempt.
Sense of Movement Takes Getting Used To
The game is built around a simple mechanic move in one direction, jump when you can’t move any more and rotate the world to find a new platform. The opening levels really ease you into the process, but as the game progresses you’re doing more and more things while trying to keep yourself alive. For people not used to this style of game it can be frustrating at times when you’re about to solve a puzzle only to have your character explode against a wall that wasn’t there just a few seconds ago. Once you get the hang of this mechanic though, you really see the beauty of the game that Broken Rules has developed.
Conclusion
There are few games I would call indie darlings, this would be one of them. This first retail game by the developer hits nearly everything they were trying to do perfectly. It brings a completely new twist (pardon the pun) to the platform genre, mixes it with a beautifully unique art style and spits out a game that’s well worth the 1,000 Wii Point asking price. One thing that would make this game better? The announcement of new downloadable puzzles.
Final Score: 4/5 Above Average
Review copy of the game provided by Broken Rules.
Played through the campaign mode once. Ran through a number of levels in time trial mode.
Total Play Time: 3.5 Hours
Trash Talking in Wave Race: Blue Storm
Remember Wave Race: Blue Storm? It was released on November 18, 2001, as a release title for the GameCube.
After all these years, somebody has released a hidden code for Wave Race: Blue Storm. When it is entered, you get trash talked from the game’s announcer.
Watch and listen!
Get the code for the game HERE.
Sources: NeoGaf via GoNintendo
Con-soul Searching: 11 Buttons? I Only Have 10 Fingers!
Metroid: Other M just came out earlier this week. I played it, I reviewed it, I loved it. Even though I got 100%, I am still going to play it some more after I write this article (I have a theory there might be a super secret ending). Anyway, I have spent the morning looking over reviews for Other M and the one complaint that everyone seems to have is the controls. I think the developers did a good job considering they designed a complex game using only the Wiimote. For the most part the controls work well but in a few places the limited input of the Wiimote seems to hinder the player’s ability to survive. This relates to something I have been mentioning in Con-soul Searching lately. How complicated are video game controllers going to get?
Let’s take a quick lap in the Nintendo Okie Time DeLorean. Time circuits on. Arcade machines have a wide array of control setups. Some use a standard joystick with a varying number of buttons, some use trackballs and others use levers and pedals. There isn’t really a standard control scheme since game cabinets are built with one game in mind. It wasn’t until the advent of the home console that controls needed to be standardized. Since consoles only use one controller (for the majority of the time) developers had to start designing controls around the number of buttons, joysticks and directional pads available to them. Over time, console controllers have grown rather complex. In just 30 years they have evolved from one button and a joystick to 11 buttons, two joysticks and a d-pad. I can’t imagine what controllers will look like in another 30 years if things continue at this pace.
Thankfully, controller advancement hasn’t produced more buttons lately. Things have been holding steady for the last couple generations. However, Nintendo has opened things up in an entirely new direction with motion controls. Now instead of more buttons, several actions are dependent on which way you move the controller. It is an added level of complexity that game players and developers had to get used to. Fast forward four years and Microsoft
and Sony are both on the verge of releasing their version of a motion controller. Whether or not these controllers will be successful is yet to be seen, but it makes me wonder if the future of controllers is not controller at all. The more technology advances, the more interfaces seem to be streamlined to be as intuitive as possible. Since video games are all about controls, it is only natural for them to follow this trend.
I’m all for intuitive controls, but if things are streamlined that, will probably mean the death of specialized controllers. Some people would jump for joy if they didn’t have to make room for more plastic guitars and steering wheels but it would mean the death of a tradition that has been with video games since the beginning. Let go back to the Atari 2600, even though it used the standard joystick, it also had paddle controllers, a driving controller and a few other special controllers. The NES came with the Zapper and some with R.O.B. Peripherals are a mainstay of consoles that were inherited from the arcades. Go into any arcade now (if you can find one) and it will be filled with cabinets attached to mechanical monstrosities that replicate a motorcycle or a tank. Since video games were born in the arcades, it only natural for consoles to try and capture that same feeling and for good reason. Some games just wouldn’t feel the same on standard controllers. I have played Guitar Hero 3 with the 360 controller. It’s weird.
Now before you go thinking that Kinect and Move will be the end of special controllers, keep in mind that they are specialized controllers themselves. I have a feeling that these new game interfaces will just add more options to the future of controlling our games. I don’t think we will ever see the disappearance of a normal controller but instead they will be used in tandem with motion sensing cameras and accelerometers. Whether that means games will be easier to control is still a question. After playing Other M, I feel that the controls took some getting used to but in the end the developers did a lot with the limited amount of input options the restricted themselves to. It gives me hope that future controllers won’t be just endless buttons and switches and that potential players won’t be too intimidated to avoid video games.
Super Meat Boy is the Main Attraction For Game Feast (XBLA)
Following on the heels of their successful Summer of Arcade promotion Microsoft is pushing their newest blockbuster sale, Game Feast for this fall. The promotion will run from September 29th to October 20th and will feature four new downloadable titles. They haven’t talked yet about any special, like purchasing all four titles and getting a Microsoft Points bonus added to your account, but we might still hear about that.
The four titles that will be featured during Games Feast are:
Sept. 29th – Hydrophobia (Blade Games)
Oct. 6th – Comic Jumper (Twisted Pixel)
Oct. 13th – Pinball FX 2 (Zen Studios)
Oct. 20th – Super Meat Boy (Team Meat)
The release of Pinball FX 2 also has some great downloadable additions. Players will be able to download virtual tables from the first Xbox Live release of Pinball FX and that there will be new additional tables available for a small fee.
Source: Gamasutra
EA Sports Predicts Playoff Teams in the NFL
EA Sports has made a habit out of being right with their recent sports predicitions with New Orleans winning last year’s Super Bowl, the Chicago Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup and Spain winning the World Cup. They’re at it again, this time with Madden and their predictions of the playoff teams for both conferences in the NFL. Here is how things will shake out according to them.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens (13-3)
AFC South
Indianapolis Colts (13-3)
AFC East
New England Patriots
AFC West
San Diego Chargers
Wild Card Teams
New York Jets
Houston Texans (9-7)
NFC North
Green Bay Packers (12-4)
NFC South
New Orleans Saints
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
NFC West
San Francisco 49ers
Wild Card Teams
Minnesota Vikings (12-4)
Atlanta Falcons
Other highlights from their regular season include Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) winning the MVP Award and Offensive Player of the Year. Terrell Suggs (Baltimore) winning the Defensive Player of the Year. Jermaine Gresham (Cincinnati) and Joe Haden (Cleveland) will win the Offensive and Defensive Rookie’s of the Year respectively and John Harbaugh (Baltimore) will be the Coach of the Year.
The NFL’s regular season hasn’t even started yet, so we’ve got some time until we find out how accurate these predictions are, but based on their past track record, it’s a good bet we’ll be proving them right at the end of the season.
What are your thoughts on how the regular season will turn out? Let us know. Obviously I think it will end with the Panthers raising the Lombardi Trophy, but I might be a bit biased in that prediction.
Source: EA Sports Press Release
Telltale Gives the Podcast Crew More Ammunition
That picture right there means the Back to the Future references will continue on the podcast. It’s not always easy for Shelby to work his reference into the show, but he always seems to manage. We knew Telltale Games was working on a game based on the Back to the Future license, but we didn’t know what it would look like.
The game will include the likenesses of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd as Marty McFly and “Doc” Brown, and Mr. Lloyd will be providing the voice for our favorite time travelling scientist. Other things you can expect to see in the game are the Delorean, Hill Valley, the year 1985. No word yet on if Einstein will make an appearance, but I’m here to say he better be in the game. The one question I have is, how will they work in the manure joke? You know it’s gotta be there as well.
Super Mario All-Stars Jumping Into Japan
Japan will be getting Super Mario All-Stars on a Wii disc when it launches there on October 21st. It’s reported that the game will cost around 2500 yen ($30) and will include a soundtrack that has samples of music from everything between Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Galaxy 2. It’s also being reported that this is a direct port of the Super Nintendo game and not a remake for Wii.
While I really would like to have a new copy of Super Mario All-Stars, I think it’s a hugely missed opportunity to not update those games again to take advantage of the Wii hardware. Who wouldn’t want to replay Mario 1, 2 and 3 in styles that are similar to the levels in Super Smash Bros. Brawl? I know I’ve been asking for that since the day Brawl launched.
There has been no word on if or when the game will launch outside of Japan, but we’ll keep you updated on that announcement if it happens.
Source: Neogaf
Ivy the Kiwi? Review (Wii)
Ivy the Kiwi? is a cute puzzle/platformer from Yuji Naka, the man that brought you Sonic the Hedgehog. After playing through the game I can say I was pleasantly surprised by what I got out of it. It’s a game that has the chance to bring fans of Mr. Naka’s former work something they’ve been waiting for.
The Vines Are the Key(wi)
Unlike most games that you’ll play you don’t have direct control over Ivy. Instead she runs around the world on autopilot, stopping only if she runs into an enemy, a wall of spikes or any of the games other various obstacles. In order to guide her safely through the main game’s 50 levels you’ll use the Wii Remote to create pathways made of vines that can help her to cross pits or block spikes in her path. It’s simply a matter of pressing the A button and drawing the vine on the screen with the Wii Remote. Be careful, though. If you stretch the fine too far it will snap. You can also use the vines to slingshot the enemy rats or crows out of the way, of if you prefer launch Ivy like a drill into them. This also comes in handy when there are blocks in the way that need to be removed.
Storybook Presentation
Everything about the presentation of Ivy the Kiwi? is charming. From the storybook intro where you learn Ivy hatches into the world and can’t find her mother to the beautiful hand drawn locations that you’ll visit. There’s nothing about the game that you won’t find appealing. Even the enemies in the game have a certain charm to them, with small round bodies and exaggerated features. The worlds are all plucked straight from old story books with browned, crinkled pages. Even the platforms themselves have a bit of roughness to them with constantly moving shadows and softly jagged edges. Ivy could very easily win awards for the cutest video game hero of the year.
Wonderful Sense of Momentum
Keeping Ivy moving is very often the key to the game. This is easily accomplished for the most part. When creating platforms simply sweeping the platform up while drawing it will send Ivy up into the air allowing you to catch her on the way down with the next platform. Many times this is key when traversing some areas, but you also have to be careful of traps on the ceiling while doing it. Understanding how she moves is also key to the bonus points at the end of the level. Getting Ivy to the top of the podium at the end can result in much higher scores on your play through.
Lots to Do After the Story
The main story mode of the game has you traveling through 10 worlds with five levels each and will take you around 4-5 hours to complete. After that things really open up with 50 new levels to complete. There is also time attack modes and plenty of replay in the main game. There are 10 feathers in each level to collect and it’s a good possibility you won’t find them all in your first play through.
Wii Remote Controls Aren’t Perfect
While it’s very easy to get the basic idea of the controls down things can get very hectic when you’re doing some things in the game. Some levels will require very precise timing of your vine placement. It can become very difficult to juggle keeping an eye on Ivy to blocking falling water from hitting her to setting vines to block a path. The problem is that the Wii Remote can be a fiddly instrument sometimes. Most of this simply requires a little bit of patience and a couple re-tries of some levels. When you understand what’s coming up and can plan for it things become a bit easier. It can just be frustrating sometimes when things don’t go exactly as you planned and it seems to be the fault of the controls.
Multi-player Modes Tends to Frustrate
For those looking for some multiplayer action you have a couple choices. Ivy the Kiwi? has a two player co-operative mode where both players can draw vines on the screen. It’s a good idea, in theory, but in practice it tends to result in a lot of frustration. Unless both players are on exactly the same page their vines tend to simply get in the way of helping Ivy progress through the levels. Frustration is further compounded by the fact that the second player can’t launch Ivy or enemies with their vines. It would have been nice for this to be added as it means one person could have focused on Ivy’s movement while the other player focused on enemies and traps. Instead it mainly boils down to yelling and turning the game off in frustration. The game simply works better in a single player fashion as it is.
The competitive multi-player is a little better. The screen is broken up into sections for up to four people who are trying to navigate through the world faster than their opponents. You can impede the other players at the cost of taking your eye off of what your version of Ivy is doing. After a while you forget about one thing to focus mainly on the other and the game ends up not being much fun that way either.
Conclusion
Ivy the Kiwi? is one of those games that people might not have realized they’d been waiting for. It takes many of the best elements of classic Sonic games and updates them with some more modern game play ideas. There is a lot of content jammed into the game and if you’re into devious gameplay with friends the multi-player modes would be good fun. It’s a great little adventure for a relatively small asking price and if you don’t care much about the bonus content there’s even a downloadable version coming to WiiWare later. However you end up getting it you shouldn’t pass up a chance to play Ivy the Kiwi?
Final Score: 4/5 Above Average
Review copy of the game provided by XSeed Games.
Played through the entire story mode and half of the challenge levels.
Total Play Time: 7 Hours
