Super Mario 64 Ds And Metroid Prime 2, For those of you who don't get NP

Super Mario 64 DS

"Ever since we played Super Mario 64 DS at E3, we hoped that we'd see the title at launch. Lo and behold, the DS successor to what's widely considered the best platformer ever made will be the system's debut first-party game in November. We played its wireless multiplayer Vs. brawlfests at E3 and recently went hands-on with the final version. Peach's castle has undergone changes since the N64 era. Each royal floor, decked out with magic paintings that lead to distant worlds like Big Boo's Haunt and Tiny-Huge Island, are made even richer on the DS with more portals. Those who wistfully remember the thrill of Mario's crazy moves in the original will be stunned by a major shift: You won't explore as Mario, at least during the first handful of star-hunting missions; instead, you'll begin as Yoshi, who must break Mario out of one of the castle's locked rooms. Yoshi and two other eventual playables, Luigi and Wario (all of whom were absent from the N64 title) bring unique moves to the game. For instance, Yoshi uses his classic gravity-resisting hop and his wicked tongue. He must defeat Big Bob-omb, the first boss, without resorting to fisticuffs, as Mario did in the original. Since you can only take one character into a world at a time, you'll often need to decide who has the skills to succeed in the dozens of missions, some from the N64 game, many new to the title."


Metroid Prime 2 Echoes

"In early October, Nintendo held a gamer's day so media from around the country could experience new products for the first time--and Metroid Prime 2 Echoes was there in all its glory. We at Nintendo Power, however, have been playing Echoes for more than a month already, and what we've discovered about the later stages of the game will blow you away. Based on the screens that you've seen already and the talk of controls and weapons, you might wonder if the game is just a retread of Metroid Prime. Worry not; though the games do move to a similar beat, there are many subtle changes that make Echoes a more enriching experience. First, the game has a truly fleshed-out story. Whereas the tale in Prime was fairly bare-bones, the Echoes experience is augmented with multiple CG cut scenes. The plot is also more complex, as Samus must juggle danger and mystery when she immerses herself into the Luminoth-Ing conflict. Finally, there is a sense of true risk, and a vague feeling that you actually might not get out of this scrape in one piece. If you want more meat on the bone of your Metroid experience, Echoes delivers.

Something else that takes Metroid Prime 2 Echoes above the level of an ordinary sequel is the art direction. Whereas the first Metroid Prime felt very much like a video game (fire level, ice level, etc.), Echoes feels like you've landed on a living, breathing world--albeit one on the verge of extinction. Imagine entering a room filled with masses pieces of ancient machinery, some of which defy explanation. Or moving through a swamp complete with clinging vvines, mossy rocks and flocks of small butterflies that skip through the air. Combined with first-class graphics and naturalistic sounds, those elements make the planet Aether come alive in a way few game worlds ever have. Exploration has always been the key to Metroid games, and Echoes will show you things you've never seen, always driving you forward to discover what surprise lies behind the next pale-blue door. Best of all, the world gets more beautiful and creative as you play through it. A later area of the game, in sharp contrast to the organic, outdoor environments that the Metroid series is known for, takes place almost entirely inside a technologically advanced fortress. Instead of rocks, you'll see computers. Rather than natural formations, you'll encounter carefully planned architecture. And in place of living creatures, you'll fight robots. Yeah, we said robots. Some of which are hundreds of feet tall. How cool is that?! But all this great scenery and art direction would be useless without perfect control and level design--and needless to say, we've been amazed by both aspects of Echoes. In a game that relies on the player tracking down and collection dozens upon dozens of weapons, upgrades and items, it's a real trick to make the experience challenging without being frustrating or tedious. Not once have we tossed a Controller at the walldruing a failed attempt to find some obscure artifact, complained about a puzzle's nonsensical solution or griped over a boss's cheap tactics. Everything is solid. Everything works. Do we sound like fanboys? In this case, guilty as charged. While video games, like any medium, have their share of hits and misses, few games can claim instant-classic status--and Metroid Prime 2 Echoes is certainly one of them. The game is so tight, so compelling, that it makes you feel priviliged every time you sit down with a TV in front of you and a Controller in hand.

Metroid. Multiplayer. Why in the world didn't anyone think of this before? What started as guarded optimism among the Nintendo Power staff has turned into a full-blown obsession as we've spent much of the last month running, gunning, rolling, swinging and blasting our way through a number of beautifully designed multiplayer arenas. From the close-quarters tunnels of the Shooting Gallery to the outer-space madness that is Sidehopper Station, you've never experienced an FPS multiplayer mode like this before. We call it the Metroid Difference, because all of Samus's tricks and tools come into play. Grapple Beam? Check. Spider Ball? Check. Annihilator Beam? Double check. You'll need to think beyond the move-and-strafe mentality that many FPS games bos you into, because Echoes adds a new dimension. When we say that enemies come from all sides, we mean it. You can be standing in a room when another Samus grapples in and starts blasting you from above. Or maybe a Morph Ball bomb will be laid at your feet when you least expect it. Traditional tactics will work, but they alone won't be enough to let you survive--you're going to need to learn some new moves. Technically, the multiplayer mode is very sound. Each player gets his or her own radar, on which other players appear as small red dots. Death and respawning, which can easily be a letdown, are also handled well. Each level has a number of spawn points, which will take the wind out of cheap-tactic camper's sails. And if your friend does insist on chumping out and camping at a spawn point, the couple of seconds of invisibility you get when you reappear will foil his plan. As of press time, we were able to gun down enemies in two modes (Deathmatch and Bounty) and three arenas. Those numbers may change before the game arrives--the three arenas are the only ones confirmed, but we've heard strong rumblings that other, secret maps exist."

Holy... thats it... screw PM2, im saving for a DS ....wait... maybe MP2....uhhh....

This post has been edited by Banana Head on Oct 27 2004, 03:19 AM

Why not get all of them at Christmas? :O

For the record, Super Mario 64 DS won't be packaged with the DS (Metroid Prime Hunters demo will).

I'm not reading it here, because I haven't got my Nintendo Power in the mail yet.

Why not get all of them at Christmas? :O

For the record, Super Mario 64 DS won't be packaged with the DS (Metroid Prime Hunters demo will).

Ermmmm... i cant....

Why not? :(

I hope so much that I get my current job done and then receive those 2000 euros so I could buy DS, SM64DS, PM2 and MP2.

Gawd, I want MP2 and a DS so bad, but I don't wanna put myself in the poor house getting both at the same time. XD;

I'll prolly wait til after the holidays to get a DS, I'm more concerned about getting MP2 for fear I'll stumble across spoilers if I don't get it.

How much will the DS cost in the US?

$149.99 I believe.

$149.99 I believe.

He is correct!
And Picto Chat is included, along with the system where if you pass by another DS owner, you'll be notified and can engage in chat/games =P

It's Super Mario 64 Master Quest. If the DS didn't include equipment for every minor task of the day I wouldn't mind getting both.

I read something like the reason for there being 2 screens for the DS is because when you're using a touch screen, some of the screen will be covered up by your hand/stylus. So they decided to stick on an extra screen, so you will still receive enough visual information for doing whatever it is in the game.

Oooh argument! Whoopee. No... I can't be bothered now.
EDIT. Oh yes I can. Yay!

Whyever not? I'd like all my games to be the maximum fun they can, handheld or otherwise. And if new innovative stuff makes games more fun, then why the hell not have them?

OOPs wrong topic?

Why all the deleateing
This was just a nice debate, no personal insults thrown...

This post has been edited by Citrusponge on Oct 27 2004, 01:57 PM

Because they're designed to pass the time. Like Checkers.

Hell, if they make a Checkers game for DS they'll probably make you DRAW the naughts and crosses everywhere you want them to go with the stylus pad, which is really not necessary. XD

*accidently moves the stylus a tad too far and overlaps another cell*

Game: ILLEGAL MOVE YOU LOSE

Okay, maybe that would be pretty fun. XD

Still, though, I don't want to pay 150 dollars for a portable system that pretends to be a home console and a controller put together with a check machine. =/

Actually, there were. But I'm not going to argue about that now. Back on topic.

Actually, there were. But I'm not going to argue about that now. Back on topic.

Oh yeah, I forgot to read most of it and assumed...

Draco, take a look at Wario Ware and Mario 64 DS's minigames. Now I'll go find some examples that will force you to believe that DS's touchscreen = teh win

I hated Wario Ware, what's your point?

'course, I hated it because they HAD to use a normal GBA and have NO LIGHTING so I couldn't see :O

I hated Wario Ware, what's your point?

'course, I hated it because they HAD to use a normal GBA and have NO LIGHTING so I couldn't see :O

I meant DS Wario Ware. If you like Wario Ware 1 (when you can see it), you'll like this. The games use the touchscreen. It's fun, and not possible without the touch... You'll see... you'll all see *continues search*

*lightbulb*

Draco, do you like PC FPSs and Strategy games?

This post has been edited by Citrusponge on Oct 27 2004, 02:24 PM

No. No shooters or strategies with stylus pads. That sucks. I hate stylus pads. Probably because I can't draw a straight line with a ruler.

No. No shooters or strategies with stylus pads. That sucks. I hate stylus pads. Probably because I can't draw a straight line with a ruler.

Who said you HAVE to draw in a straight line? I've yet to see a DS game that requires you to. XD Most I've seen have you draw around objects or simply touch them.