WNR: 14th February 2010

welcome to WNR! :3 this week we have the usual roundabout of news plus the review of a boy and his blob, a game that finally got out in europe quite a few months after the american release :3 hope you'll enjoy this report!

VC RELEASES OF THIS WEEK:

USA
-Princess Tomato in the salad kingdom (NES)

EU
-Sonic & Knuckles (SEGA genesis/megadrive)

WIIWARE RELEASES OF THIS WEEK:

USA
-Blaster Master: Overdrive (action game)
-Tomena Sanner (crazy game)
-Bloons (puzzle game)
-Hubert the teddy bear: Winter games (minigame collection)

EU
-Frogger returns
-Overturn: Mecha wars (action game)

GAME RELEASES OF NEXT WEEK:

USA
16th of February:
-Data East Arcade classics
-Free running

EU
18th of February:
-Family party: winter fun

NEWS OF THE WEEK:

New screens for Max and the Magic marker have been released (2d platform):
http://www.nintendoeverything.com/32446/

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New details on Zangeki no Reginleiv have been released (action/rpg)):

Setting- Developers considered different
types of settings like medieval Japan (main character would be a
samurai) and modern day (main character would be a high school boy)
-
Team chose Scandinavian mythology instead of Greek mythology
-
There was a lot of trial and error with character designs, devs did
motion capture for some characters before the design was finished
-
Giants took a long time to create
- Sandlot found making a natural
landscape difficult since they had experience mainly with cities
-
Dev team researched Scandinavian nature
- Script more than 10 cm
thick when piled up
- Over an hour of cut-scenesGameplay- Giants pursue
you after their limbs are lost, they will crawl if their legs are lost
- Increasing the difficult changes the strength + AI of enemies
-
NPCs change based on the situation (like shouting different things based
on how far away enemies are
- Over 3 months of voice recording
-
Nintendo requested Wi-Fi gameplay, Classic Controller/MotionPlus
support, Iwata specifically asked for MotionPlus
- Initially, there
were going to be only 100 weaponsThe age rating-
Sandlot tried making the game less violent (by cutting down on
dismemberment, for example), but believed that making the game less
realistic would impact the gameplay
- To minimize the violence, you
play as the protector of the people, which happens to fit the original
Scandinavian mythology
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Level 5, the team behind Inazuma Eleven and Professor Layton confirmed that it's working on at least one wii title...could it be a Layton wii ? D:
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Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future soldier announced on wii as multiplatform. It looks like there will be a team specifically working on the wii version, wich gives me hope for a nice, exclusive version of the game instead of a downgraded port
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Rock of the dead has been announced for wii. Here are a trailer and the first details:http://www.nintendoeverything.com/32504/
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Two good news for No More Heroes fans. The first one is that No More Heroes 2 will be heading to europe in April. Second one is that Suda51 wants the third No More Heroes game to go on the wii's successor...let's hope for a new great chapter of the story, then! :3
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New screens for Megaman 10 have been released, along with the details about the new weapons (2d action/platform game):http://www.nintendoeverything.com/33080/

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People who will preorder Fragile Dreams: Farewell ruins of the moon will get a bonus official soundtrack! here are the details:
http://www.nintendoeverything.com/33133/

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New details for Prince of Persia: Forgotten sands have been released (action game):

- Takes place after Sands of Time
- Prince visits a neighboring
kingdom, which is ruled by his brother, Malik
- Prince recognizes
similar mistakes between him and his brother
- Razia accompanies the
Prince
- Razia can control elements/magic
- Powers:
Rewind
Fire
Air – Perform an air dash to reach platforms, swirl winds

Earth – Fix a pillar so that you can climb it
Water – Can freeze
water
- Wii version isn’t a port, built ground up for Wii, 60 FPS
- Sang Ring: Creates handhold on a wall (point the Wiimote and press
B), but can only do it one at a time
- “Things get considerably more
complex when you have to use multiple sand powers in concert.”
-
Faint blue light will show you the Prince’s reach and if he will be able
to jump (for platforming sections)
- No rewind to fix mistakes
-
Super Mario Galaxy-like co-op
- Wii combat controls: Swing sword
with Wiimote flick, nunchuck flick to punch, use buttons to block, roll,
etc.

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A new wiiware game has been announced, yet the name is still unknown. We just have a few details:

- Platformer
- Rooted in origins of historical/geographical nature
- Main character is a hunter who is going on a person expedition
-
Log book keeps track of his adventures/progress
- “Really big” areas
in scope
- Many enemies, mazes
- Buy new equipment with money
- Can’t visit some areas in the game without certain upgrades
- 3
skill levels
- 8 hours of gameplay

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A new trailer for Endless Ocean 2 has been released:
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/us-manatee-endless-ocean/61646

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New videos for Blaster Master: Overdrive have been released (action game):
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/debut-trailer-blaster-master/61700
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/blasting-mastery-blaster-master/61733

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New videos for Chronos Twins DX have been released (2d action game):
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/boss-ii-chronos-twins/61748
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/stage-vi-chronos-twins/61750
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/boss-iii-chronos-twins/61749

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This is not exactly a wii-related news, but blah The first two new pokemon of the 5th gen have been announced! they are called Zorua and Zoroark, new dark-type pokemon :3 it looks like the new game will surprise everyone, probably getting a new gameplay, following the words of the programmers. For now enjoy the scans:
http://www.nintendoeverything.com/32957/

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WII GAME OF THE WEEK: A boy and his blob
Genre: 2d platform
publisher: Wayforward



I was supposed to pick up this game months ago, but there was some distribution problem that bumped it from November to the end of January...well, at last I managed to get it and eagerly started a new adventure :3

A boy and his blob is the reimagination of an old game that originally came out on NES as A boy and his blob: Trouble in Blobonia. The game picks up the very old game and updates the gameplay, also solving several flaws the game had (like limited jellybeans that made the levels frustrating to the most). Let's go into detail though. The game starts off with a nice cartoon-like opening sequence, showing off how the boy you'll be playing as is helping a cute white blob saving his planet from an evil blob king. Your main power is giving to the blob different jellybeans that will make him change shape, depending by the colour, helping you trough the levels.

The graphical look, despite its simplistic style is really impressive. Everything is hand-draw, botht he levels and the sprites of the characters. The levels have a really colourful look and are really detailed and worked with love :3 the levels are quite lively. Beside the enemies you'll find other things moving. The levels are filled with little critters moving around, like snakes and bugs, during the night in the forest levels you'll easily find fireflies flying around and in the dark caves bats will fly away once you move close to them. Everything is made in away that all the background around you feels alive and not just painted there for show.

The characters move very smoothly. Both the blob and the kid have very nice and lively animations, some of wich are adorable. The blob morphs very smoothly in different ways, depending what he's morphing into. Even the boy's walking animation shows great care in the hand-drawn style of them game. This without talking about the animations of the enemies and especially of the bosses, really lively and well-made. You can seriously see the style of the people who made Warioland Shake it in this game X3

The gameplay is easy, yet addicting. In each level you'll start out with certain kinds of jellybeans that will give the blob certain transformations. The blob can take 15 forms, but you'll never bring all of them with you. The game automatically gives you a certain set, depending by the level itself. The blob can take a lot of weird forms...He can become a ledge to let you climb up certain areas, a ball that can be used to knock down enemies, a hole that can let you get rid of enemies if there's a pit beneath them or even weirder forms like a cannon or a shield.

you just have to throw the jellybean and the cute little blob will run to gobble it. The game gives you the chance to aim where to throw the jellybean, thing that will be useful for certain puzzles, since every level is a mix of puzzles and enemies that will block your way. This is where the game gets interesting. The structure of the level can look simple, but it will push you toward a trial and error system, since everything, being spikes, water or simple enemies can kill the boy in one hit, so you'll have to be very careful about how you move.

Luckily the checkpoint system of the game lets you start not too far from where you die, avoiding to make the game frustrating. The "puzzle" situations scattered trough the levels are of different levels...some are very easy and intuitive, while some might block you for a while, thinking how to solve it, especially the ones that will lead you to hidden treasure chests (there are three in each level). The puzzles requires not only thinking, but also some speed, since you'll oftenly have to use more than one transformation of the blob, especially if the puzzle involves enemies or buttons. I also liked how at times the game seems to trick you by placing a random enemy or object, making you think that enemy is useful for the current area of the level, while the true answer is right behind you.

There also are signs that hint at what form of the blob you must use, wich make some of the puzzles and areas easier unluckily. The boss battles are quite hard if you don't know what to do and if you don't have the right timing. Again, this requires some trial and error and knowledge of the area around you, making the bosses not impossible, but certainly challenging.

To close this part the gameplay mixes platform and puzzling elements perfectly, making every level a nice challenge to face, even if not really impossible. Also, a little tip. I bet that pressing up on the d-pad when you're near the blob will make you go awww ^^

The story is quite simple and doesn't develope that much. It's an old-school game afterall. Despite this the game does have a couple of touching moments that really made me go on the verge of tears, seriously <:3 that's how a game gets me all emotional X3 This game also haves one of the sweetest endings I ever saw.

The soundtrack is another strong point of the game, going for a nice orchestral style, wich works really well with the lively feeling of the levels. The sondtrack also includes the classic theme of the NES game, wich made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside X3 also, if someone knows where to find the music please tell me, I've looked all over the net, but nothing seems to pop up ^^;

ahem, anyway, this game is a little gem that I recommend to all the 2d platform lovers and the ones who played the original. The game haves four worlds witch 10 levels for each of them. It can be cleared in a few hours, even though the search for every hidden treasure and the chance to unlock challenge levels and gallery stuff lenghtens the game quite a bit.

Now, here are a few screens:



the starry sky is pretty :3



you just found a treasure!



one of the bosses



choose your power wisely >:3

and here are a few videos:
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/story-trailer-a-boy-and/55499
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/rocket-gameplay-a-boy-and/57362

that's all for this week! see ya next time and have a good wii gaming time!