The Original Zelda in 3D

The original Legend of Zelda was an amazing NES game. Now one fan is attempting to take it to the next level and bring the game into the third dimension. This is a demo of one of the dungeons. This is still a work in progress and it is not complete so be aware of that going in. Check it out.

This Week in Nintendo History

This Week in Nintendo History: August 9th to August 15th
This Week in Nintendo History: August 16th to August 22nd
This Week in Nintendo History: August 23rd to August 26th
This Week in Nintendo History: August 30th to September 5th
This Week in Nintendo History: September 6th to September 12th
This Week in Nintendo History: September 13th to September 19th
This Week in Nintendo History: September 20th to September 26th
This Week in Nintendo History: September 27th to October 3rd
This Week in Nintendo History: October 11th to October 17th

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years Review

I have to be perfectly honest and open up front, and like I said in my preview I’ve not played many Final Fantasy games. I started with Final Fantasy VII, but haven’t played anything before that. So this review is coming from someone who hasn’t played the original Final Fantasy IV. I can say that I’ve played many RPGs in the past and this one ranks near the top in terms of games I’ve enjoyed.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years opens up with the main character, Ceodore, following in his father’s footsteps. He is embarking on his journey to join the Knights of the Red Wings, the elite fighting force of the Kingdom of Baron. His father is King Cecil, a paladin, and his mother is Rosa, a white mage; they are also the heroes of Final Fantasy IV. The game takes place 17 years after the events of the first game. Once his quest to join the knights is completed the second moon which has been gone for the past 17 years suddenly reappears and the kingdom is invaded by hordes of monsters. Ceodore must defend himself and return to his home to aid in its defense. Along the way he is met by a mysterious “hooded man” who offers to join him on his trip. Other adventures that take place during this initial chapter of the game involve Cecil, Rosa and the engineer Cid, as well as the mysterious dragoon Kain who wants to have a meeting with Cecil. All of these different adventures tie together in a web of intrigue to discover why the second moon has returned, who is the mysterious woman behind it and why does Kain need to see Cecil as quickly as possible.

Many elements of the original release were to become staples of the role playing genre, and they return in this game with some new updates. The Active Time Battle System is the one you will encounter most often. Each character has a bar that fills up and once full they may perform an action. That can be to attack, cast magic, use items, or “band” together with another character. You can customize this a bit to your liking. You have to ability to have the game wait until you’ve decided a characters action or continue to run in real time. There is also the option of speeding up or slowing down the speed that these bars move so you have more time to choose what each character does. The banding attacks are powerful combo attacks between 2 or more characters that can be used to deal massive damage to a single enemy or even groups of enemies. They are extremely powerful, but require a small amount of MP, or magic points, to activate. A few of these banding attacks will be given to you throughout the story, but you can also try different combinations of characters to discover other ones on your own. One element of the game that will become increasingly frustrating is the random encounters. These encounters happen very frequently and can interrupt the Gameplay somewhat. In order to survive for extended periods of time you need to make strategic use of all the special attacks you have available to you, and learn each monsters weakness in order exploit them to help speed combat along.

Another new element to the game is the moon phase system. This will cause different aspects of each character to become stronger or weaker based on the phase of the moon you are in. This will change at various intervals, but can be changed at will by pitching a tent at specific locations throughout the world. For instance, during a waxing or waning moon attack power is increased while during a full moon magic abilities are increased. Learning this and how it affects your character will be very beneficial in boss fights. There is also the ability for up to three friends to join in the action and take control of characters during battles. This is an interesting addition, but unless you and all your friends can keep up with the frantic pace of battles it may cause fights outside the in game battles as well.

One aspect of the game that is wonderful, and expected in Square Enix games, is the visuals. The After Years uses the same art style as the original SNES release. The environments are gorgeous; character sprites are vibrant and very animated. Spell effects sparkle and shine; there are a wide variety of these as well. The only downside to the visuals is that environments are reused throughout the game. If you’ve been in one cave, you’ve been in every cave in the game. The layouts may be different, but the look and feel is always the same. This is a small gripe and does not affect the overall feel of the game. Square Enix also knows how to compose music. The upbeat battle theme is a nice contrast to many of the slower, more moody melodies you’ll encounter.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Yearsis broken up into a number of chapters. The first chapter is available for 800 points. Overall, the story is broken up into nine separate stories. The first and the last, which will be available in September, are the only required elements if you want to get the full experience of the main story. Also available now is the first of seven Character Stories, Rydia’s Tale. These will be available in the first weeks of July and August in groups of three. Each Character Story will cost 300 Nintendo Points, but are optional side stories that detail the events that happen to many of the characters you will encounter through the game. They are not necessary to the understanding of the main story. The main story will run you between four and five hours, each of the side stories should take around two hours to complete. All together if you purchase all the available content it will run 3700 Nintendo Points.

For fans of Final Fantasy IV this is a welcome continuation of many peoples favorite game in the series. If you’re new to the series it may feel awkward trying to get into the story. It’s probably helpful to know the history of these characters, but not necessary to follow the story. It’s well worth the price for a quality title in a storied franchise. The only real problem with this release is that once you’ve really gotten into the story and are starting to wonder exactly where things are going the credits roll and you have to wait a bit to find out the rest of the tale. The episodic nature of the game means you’re going to get the experience that you want to have, and it’s an experience that many people would and should enjoy.

Final Score: 4/5

A Conservative's View on Violent Video Games

I'm one of those people know as a crazy Christian, conservative, Republican. The only difference is I don't believe in censorship. We often see the debate about violent video games raging in the media. Are they harmful to kids? Are they not harmful to kids? The answer, I think, is both. Video games, like any form of entertainment can be both harmful and beneficial.

Video games are given ratings by the ESRB. These are not mandatory, but for the most part if you don't get rated you don't get licensed to be sold for a console. They range from Early Childhood, EC, up to Adults Only, AO. Violent video games are generally rated M or Mature. These games are, by law, only to be sold to people over 17. If a parent buys those games for their child, that's their right, and they should be held responsible for the consequences.

Should video games be censored based on content? No. This is America you have the ability and the right to create whatever you want. People will then judge if they feel the material is objectionable and whether they want it around their families or not. By that same token, platform holders have the right to determine what they want on their platforms? If a platform holder doesn't want games that are rated AO on their system, then change the material a bit or find somewhere else to release your ideas. There are a large number of ways to get your ideas to the masses and if you don't want it edited then find one of those avenues for release.

We don't need more legislation telling us who can and can't sell games to whom. We already have laws in place for that. They simply need to be enforced. But the main line of defense, and the ones who should be at the forefront of this are the parents of the children who play the games. Make sure you know what your kids play. Do some research on the games they want to play before you buy it or give your kids money to buy it. If you find the material not appropriate for your children then don't let them have it. Parents are ultimately the ones responsible for the way their children are raised, or at least they should be.

In a perfect world we wouldn't need legislation at all for this topic because the market would dictate. Children would not be subjected to material the parents find objectionable because the parents would know what is going on. I can't tell someone else how to raise their child, but I can do what I have to to keep my kids from being subjected to violence or sex or profanity. I make sure to watch the shows they watch or play the games they play, either before they do or with them. I monitor what they do on the internet and make sure they don't talk to shady individuals or go to sites I find inappropriate.

Most people will not be affected by violent video games because they will be raised in a way that limits their contact with it. They will be taught the difference between what's right and what's wrong. Do your part to help solve this problem. Don't rely on government groups or political activists. Get involved with your children and make sure you are aware of what's going on in their lives.

The Conduit

The Conduit was released yesterday in North America, and it was awesome. If you haven't picked this game up, you owe it to yourself to stop what you're doing right now and buy it. First Person Shooters have not had much success on Wii. Outside of The Call of Duty games and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption they've not fared well in the retail department. Even well received games like Medal of Honor Heroes 2 that improved FPS controls didn't sell well.

The Conduit aims to change that and I think they've done a wonderful job. The story of the game is not ground breaking. It won't win any awards for creativity. The world was invaded by aliens, secret government agencies have to clean up the mess and betrayals occur. You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again. Where it does succeed is in sheer fun. The game is a blast to play. High Voltage Software has delivered a game that redefined shooters for Wii in ways other than story. The customization options allow for any control scheme you can imagine. You can map the controls to any button or motion that you choose and that means that controls should not be a problem for you. Map the options you don't use very much to controls you don't like and put the more used options in positions that you can get to easily.

It also brings life like graphics on Wii to the same level as early Xbox 360 and PS3 games. The game is gorgeous to look at. The environments may be bland and stereotypical, but the level of detail that High Voltage has reached is unmatched to this point on Wii. The Quantum 3 engine designed by High Voltage has allowed them to use techniques that are common on the higher powered system to provide lighting effects, depth, and detail that many thought were not possible on Nintendo's little white box. It's still not as powerful as you see on the other systems. For instance you can't read documents sitting behind glass in the Library of Congress, which would have been a nice touch, but they're also not blurry messes that blend in with everything else when you get close. You can see where words begin and end and paper is raised above the surface it's sitting on. Flags have well defined stars and stripes that don't blur once you touch them. It's not the same experience you get with Halo or Call of Duty on 360, but it's a great first effort for the developer on Wii. A sequel and some more time means they'll be able to do even more to improve on the visuals.

The multi-player portion of the game blows everything else to this point on the system away. There are more modes of play with as many or more players in matches. They have voice chat, friends list, and the ability to add friends without having their friend code. All of those things were thought impossible on Wii, but High Voltage proved they can be done, and done quite well. This game could very well be the Halo style game people have been wanting on Wii.

I hope this game does well, because High Voltage Software has done everything that was necessary to deliver a solid shooter experience on a platform that people dismissed for shooters. They've got two more games on the horizon that should improve on this first offering and hopefully we'll see a sequel to this game because it's an experience that I'm looking forward to again.

High Voltage, you've done well, and you've cemented your place among my favorite developers.

If you're interested in playing the game with members of the Nintendojo Staff, hit up our Forums on the site for more details.

I'm tired of defending Wii

That may sound like something strange coming from someone who loves Nintendo as much as I do, but it's true. Everywhere you turn "hardcore" gamers are bashing Nintendo for abandoning them. For almost three years now I've spent a lot of it trying to sell Wii to those people who want bigger explosions, more realistic graphics and more blood in the Wii games.

Well, I'm not going to do it anymore. I play games to have fun. I enjoy games like the Munchables and My Sims because they're fun. I enjoy games like the Conduit and Call of Duty because they're fun. I don't play games because they look like what I see out of my window. I don't care what the graphics of a game look like. I don't care how much blood a game has in it. I generally avoid those types of games anyway, because that seems to be all there is to them.

I sit down for an hour in front of my TV with a controller in my hand because I want to have fun. I don't want to spend an hour trying to convince a 13 year old boy that the Wii is a fun system. They want cursing, realism, blood and guns in their games and if it doesn't have those the game sucks in their opinion. They're entitled to it, but I think they're wrong.

They won't play a game like The Munchables because it looks like a game for kids. They don't remember the days when we played games like Pac-Man or Galaga because they were fun to play. I don't know when gaming turned from that the the gore fest shooters that people think games have to be in order to be fun.

I just know that I'm tired of listening to it. I'm not going to defend it anymore because it's a losing battle. I'm going to continue to buy the games that I like because I think they deserve support. My gaming shelf is full of games that many would say are stupid. I own My Sims, The Munchables, Paper Mario. I also own games like Call of Duty and The Conduit. They're all fun and arguing with people about that isn't so I'm not going to do it anymore.

Mario Kart Wii Review

Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart Wii is the newest installment of the Mario Kart series that started on the Super Nintendo. It has gone through many changes throughout its history and this version incorporates many elements from every previous version of the game.

Mario Kart Wii ships with the Wii Wheel. This is the newest way to control the game and is the method used in the game’s promotion. The wheel has a slot in the middle that holds the Wii Remote sideways so you can tilt it much like a car’s steering wheel. You use the 2 button to accelerate and the 1 button to brake. The Directional Pad is used when you want to use objects that you collect at various points on the track. A quick shake of the controller and you can perform tricks off of ramps. It should be noted that this control method will take some getting used to as there is no way to accurately tell when you’re holding the remote centered and turns can be a little difficult to judge. After about an hour, though, you should be comfortable enough to control your kart well. You can also use the Wii Remote/Nunchuk combination as well as the Classic Controller and the Gamecube Controller. These methods will be used by players who are not comfortable with the Wii Wheel form of control. They also give you more pinpoint control of your kart.

Mario Kart Wii boasts more tracks than any previous console version of the game. Like the DS version this game has a total of 32 tracks. 16 of them are brand new and range from the fairly simple Luigi Circuit to the ever perilous Rainbow Road and everything in between. The Retro courses are taken from every previous version of the game. All the tracks are very colorful and have a lot of things going on. You can see Mii’s from your system lined up on the outside of many of them. You have 24 characters divided into 3 “weight” classes that you can choose and each character has up to 10 different vehicles they can select from. The game also has Mii support in the form of a playable character. Battle Mode also makes a return. You have ten different arenas that you can choose from to participate in Balloon Battle or Coin Runner modes. You can choose to race competitively by your self or bring along three other friends and join teams to see who can dominate the tracks together.

Wi-fi allows to play online against people from anywhere in the world in both race and battle modes. Online races allow up to 12 different people, with up to two players on a single console. All the modes available in the single player versions are allowed on the Wi-Fi Connection. With the use of a Friend Code you can join friends in races or you can elect to play random matches. You are given points depending on your finishing position in races and this is used to match you up with people of comparable skill. Chatting is allowed with people you have added as a friend with the use of pre-selected messages.
Mario Kart Wii is rated “E” for everyone because of Comic Mischief. This comes from players being able to run other racers off the tracks and throwing objects such as turtle shells or bombs at other players. None of these scenes are violent. They cause racers to spin out in place or fly into the air. If you own a Wii I would recommend that you pick this game up. You can have fun with this game by yourself, but it becomes a great time for everyone if you have multiple people to play with.