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The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

w2n — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 10:40:57 +0000

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Zeruda no Densetsu Towairaito Purinsesu) is a video game in Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda series, for the Wii and Nintendo GameCube. Originally planned for release in November 2005, Nintendo delayed it so that the developers could add more content and fine-tune the game. The Wii versions were released on the console’s launch dates of November 19, 2006 in North America, December 2, 2006 in Japan, December 8, 2006 in Europe, and December 7, 2006 in Australia, making Twilight Princess the first Zelda game to debut alongside the launch of a Nintendo console.

Twilight Princess is the first game in The Legend of Zelda series to be rated T by the ESRB, for animated blood and fantasy violence.

Story

When an evil darkness enshrouds the land of Hyrule. Link, a young man raised as a wrangler in a rural village, is ordered by the mayor to attend the Hyrule Summit. He sets off, oblivious to the dark fate that has descended upon the kingdom. When he enters the Twilight Realm that has covered Hyrule, he transforms into a wolf and is captured. A mysterious figure named Midna helps him break free, and with the aid of her magic, they set off to free the land from the shadows.

Link must explore the vast land of Hyrule and uncover the mystery behind its plunge into darkness. As he does, he’ll have to enlist the aid of friendly folk, solve puzzles and battle his way through dangerous dungeons. In the Twilight Realm, he’ll have to use his wolf abilities and Midna’s magic to bring light to the land.

Graphics

Footage from the game was originally shown at E3 2004 in the form of a short trailer, and was shown afterwards in several other trailers. It features a stylized, naturalistic art style (similar to, but more advanced than, that found in Ocarina of Time), rather than the cel-shaded look that The Wind Waker exhibited — although it still makes use of cel-shading effects, using a very heavily modified version of The Wind Waker’s engine.

Gameplay

In The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Link learns more moves than in any other Legend of Zelda game to date. Link also shares similar moves between human and wolf, for example when an enemy is on the ground, Link has the option to finish them off by plunging his sword into their chest or in wolf form (on poes, to rip out their souls). Link can communicate with animals in wolf form as if they were people. When transformed into a wolf, Link’s senses (smell, sight, and hearing) are also raised quite significantly. With these abilities come some disadvantages. While he is a wolf, Link cannot utilize any of his items, or open any doors with handles until he can transform into human.

There is no extensive voice acting in the game. The characters still laugh, scream, and make other such noises, just as they have in previous installments on the Nintendo 64 and Nintendo GameCube.

Weapons, equipments and items

Link first acquires a wooden sword (as he did in the original The Legend of Zelda) but later upgrades to the Ordon Sword (a regular metal sword) and then the Master Sword. In the Palace of Twilight, the Master Sword is infused with light. Link obtains a wooden shield early in the game called the Ordon Shield. Although this can catch fire (similar to the Deku Shield in Ocarina of Time), Link can replace it with a less refined plain Wooden shield, or the metallic Hylian Shield, which does not catch fire. Once an enemy is defeated the player can sheath the sword in a cinematic fashion; this also happens during cinematics that take place after boss and mini-boss battles.

The Slingshot also returns from previous installments of the series. Link obtains this item early on in the game so that the player can get accustomed to aiming with the Wii Remote.

A Lantern and Lantern Oil are also in the game, which is a first for a 3D Zelda game. Lanterns can be refilled by certain shopkeepers, and lantern oil can also be held in a bottle. The jelly from yellow Chus (a variant of a gelatinous blob enemy) can also be used to fuel the lantern.

The Dominion Rod (found in the Temple of Time) is used to bring statues with holes in them to life, making them mimic Link.

The game features many classic Zelda armaments, some with new twists, such as the Gale Boomerang. This novel version of the series staple can create a small whirlwind capable of picking up items, including lit bombs, and delivering them to other locations, such as to an enemy or back to Link.

The Iron Boots also return, which can now be used in conjunction with magnetic surfaces to lift Link to new heights. They are also used for purposes outside dungeons. For example, they are first used to prevent the player from being knocked off Death Mountain by rolling Gorons, and are also used in a sumo wrestling match against the Goron Elder.

Link has three types of bombs available: bombs (standard bomb), water bombs (bombs that can be used in water), and bomblings (bomb with legs, similar to Bombchu).

The player can combine items such as the bombs and arrows to create bomb arrows, among other items. This recalls a feature of Link's Awakening for the Game Boy, in which the player is able to create an explosive arrow by simply equipping the bow and bombs and firing both at once. This is now a fully documented ability which the player must use to progress in certain areas, whereas in Link's Awakening it was more of an easter egg.

Twilight Princess also introduces a new version of the Hookshot called the Clawshot. This item functions similarly to the Hookshot, except that Link can hang from the fully retracted claw when he has reached his destination, and when hanging from a ceiling he can extend or retract the chain to move upwards or downwards (reminiscent of the Grappling Hook item in The Wind Waker). Later, he acquires a second Clawshot which he wears on his other hand, creating a pair dubbed the Double Clawshot, which allows him to transfer from one Clawshot point to another and access previously unreachable areas.

There are three different outfits for Link: The original outfit he starts in, the green “Hero” tunic, another Magic Armor that makes Link invincible (though it quickly drains rupees while equipped and will make it heavier for him to walk once he runs out of Rupees) and a Zora Armor (with flippers and diving mask) that lets him breathe and swim freely underwater, yet increases the damage taken from fire and ice hazards. The Zora Armor is a gift from the late Zora queen for saving her son.

Classic items such as Potions and Bottles also return. Red potions restore 8 hearts of health, while the more expensive blue potions (over 3x the cost) restore all hearts. A new item that can be held in bottles is bee larva. They can be obtained from beehives Link knocks down and also from select shops. They can be used as fishing bait, or to eat and regain a quarter of a heart. While eating them, Link is said to have a “horrible, but hilarious” face.

In wolf form, Link receives a “sense” ability which is somewhat similar to the Lens of Truth from previous games. Also, using the sense ability, Link can track down certain characters by following their scents with his enhanced senses. As a wolf, he is also able to find and dig holes to find new passages and uncover buried items such as hearts and rupees. He can also search for Poes (Ghosts) in his wolf form, which can only be attacked when using his wolf senses. Finding 20, then 60 Poe’s Souls completes two of the side-quests in the game.

The “Twilight Realm” The Spinner is a large top-like object which he uses to move over quicksand and bash into enemies. It is also used to ride along tracks in Arbiter Grounds and other locations.

Another one of the new items is the Ball and Chain, a heavy ball at the end of a chain which Link swings and uses to hit enemies and break through weak walls. Using this item slows his movement considerably, though when carrying it, it can work like a shield to deflect arrows.

Golden bugs roam around Hyrule. Catching these bugs and giving them to a girl who thinks she’s a princess will get the girl to upgrade Link’s wallet and give Link some rupees.

A heart container now consists of five heart pieces instead of the traditional four. Thus, extending Link’s life meter is more difficult. It should be noted, however, that not only can Heart Pieces be found in dungeons, but there are two in each dungeon except the final (Hyrule Castle). There are 45 Pieces total (9 Hearts worth) and the remaining Hearts are dropped by Dungeon Bosses.

Ooccoo is a character present in most dungeons. When discovered, she behaves as a warp item, much like Farore’s Wind in Ocarina of Time. She will let Link set a warp point inside a dungeon, then warp Link outside; and, when Link’s ready to return to the dungeon, Link uses her child, Ooccoo Jr., who will warp Link back to the warp point previously set.

Developer : Nintendo
Publisher : Nintendo
Genre : Action/Adventure
Platform : Wii, Game Cube
ESRB : Teen
Release date : Wii Version US November 19, 2006 JP December 2, 2006 AUS December 7, 2006 EURO December 8, 2006 GameCube Version JP December 2, 2006 US December 12, 2006 AUS December 12, 2006 CA December 12, 2006 EURO December 15, 2006

Metal Slug Anthology

w2n — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 07:58:08 +0000

Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Metal Slug by joining the Metal Slug team on 7 separate adventures that span across the life of the franchise in this definitive collection.

Metal Slug Anthology is a video game compilation for PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Wii. For Wii it will have unique controller functionality and online capabilities. It also marks the return of SNK Playmore as a third-party developer for a Nintendo console for the first time since the Super NES era. It is currently in development by Terminal Reality in Lewisville, Texas.

SNK Playmore is putting a lot of thought into what extras to include as unlockables and bonuses. Art and music collections seem a lock, at least. How you’ll go about unlocking these is a mystery, though. SNK is toying with several ideas, such as awarding spendable tokens for various in-game achievements. Done right, that could be kind of fun, so long as the prices aren’t exorbitant and no essential content, such as the games themselves, need to be unlocked.

In contrast, Metal Slug Anthology for the PSP is coming together into a polished-looking product. The game-selection screen is in and looks quite nice, and the first level of each game is fully playable. Based on my limited playtime, the quality of the porting looks fantastically accurate, with the games playing just like I remembered them playing. Of special note are the multiple screen mode options; you can choose from a blurry widescreen, a less noticeably blurry fit-to-vertical, and the original 1:1 pixel mode. The fit-to-vertical makes a nice compromise between detail and screen size, and both it and the original resolution mode look fantastic on the PSP’s sharp screen.

PSP version features Wi-Fi (ad hoc) support for intense 2-player action Arcade perfect port of each title Pick-up-and-play, non-stop action.

Metal Slug Anthology Features:

Seven incredible Metal Slug games on one UMD – Metal Slug 1, Metal Slug 2, Metal Slug X, Metal Slug 3, Metal Slug 4, Metal Slug 5, Metal Slug 6

Developer : Terminal Reality
Publisher : SNK Playmore
Genre : Action
ESRB : TEEN
PLatform : PSP, PS2, Wii
Release date : PSP AU November 17, 2006 JP December 2006 US December 19, 2006 Wii EN March 30, 2007 US December 14, 2006 PS2 US December 19, 2006

Swing Your Wii Controller. Gently, please.

admin — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 08:20:11 +0000

Source: Chicago Tribune
By Eric Benderoff and Alex L. Goldfayn

Carroll McMahon didn’t think she was buying her son a dangerous toy when she paid twice the list price on eBay for a Nintendo Wii so it would be under the tree on Christmas morning.

But on Friday, the key part to Nintendo’s hot new video game system was put under a voluntary recall. The strap that attaches the wandlike controller to a player’s wrist can break easily, sending the device flying, in some cases right through television screens.

Nintendo also warned its customers to throttle back on the enthusiastic play.

Since the Wii’s introduction in mid-November, Wii users have reported cracked TV screens, bruised foreheads and other misadventures caused by controllers flying out of the hands of overly aggressive users.

Jaana Baker, 23, cracked her LCD screen during a particularly spirited round of Wii bowling after snapping the controller’s wrist strap and sending it into her flat-screen TV. (Chris Carlson / Associated Press)

It’s an unusual side effect of an innovative take on gaming. The Wii distinguishes itself from the other enormously anticipated new video game device, Sony’s PlayStation 3, by using a hand-held controller that senses motion and wirelessly transmits it to the TV. The controller can be used as a tennis racket or sword, and that motion gets incorporated into the on-screen action.

Unfortunately, one of two very low-tech straps that tether the wireless controller to a user’s wrist is failing. As gamers work up a sweat swatting backhand winners, they can lose their grip on the controller. The force of the swing then causes the strap to snap, sending the device flying.

The thin cord connecting the controller to the wrist strap is the problem. “People refer to it as sewing thread,” said Jim Walsh, 27, who has been chronicling the defect and its consequences on a Web site, WiiHaveAProblem.com.

The game enthusiast from Cleveland got an e-mail from a friend who “broke his TV with the controller,” he said. “So we jumped on it and put up the Web site to see where it might go.”

That site was part of the chatter that led Nintendo to issue a voluntary recall Friday for the 3.2 million connecting straps already sold. The new straps are roughly twice as thick as the original ones.

At Walsh’s Web site, there are plenty of pictures of what happens when the Wii goes airborne. He said he receives about 20 to 30 e-mails a day detailing the damage.

One player said the strap on his Wii broke and launched the controller into his 42-inch projection TV. “There are two layers of screens on my TV, and the [remote] broke through both,” he wrote.

Another gamer sent his controller into the television twice. Merely cracking the screen the first time, he kept playing. The next time the controller hit the screen it broke open a big hole. Game over.

People aren’t only hurting their TVs, either.

One woman walked into the room at the same moment her boyfriend was swinging a sword during a fantasy game. He hit her right in her face, giving her a nasty shiner.

Another woman dislocated her knee. A post on the Web site says she was “apparently wearing heels while playing” tennis.

It’s that physical motion that has video game developers so excited about the Wii, despite Friday’s voluntary recall.

Boxing on the Nintendo Wii.

“We love it,” said Reilly Brennan, a spokesman for Chicago-based Midway Games, which is developing a Wii version of Mortal Kombat, the most popular title in Midway’s catalog. “We knew Nintendo would have a hit on its hand when we first saw the Wii. We launched four games with the system and we have a lot of games in development.”

There’s no doubt that the Wii has been a big hit this holiday season.

Through the end of November, Nintendo sold 476,000 units in the U.S., according to the NPD Group. The company claims it will ship about 4 million worldwide by year’s end. Sony Corp. has sold 197,000 in the U.S., and said it will ship 2 million worldwide by the year’s end. The game consoles remain hard to find in stores.

Both were released in November, with the PS3 the more highly anticipated introduction. The Wii has been a surprise hit, with analysts pointing to its fresh approach to gaming, plus a more modest $250 retail price, compared to PS3, which goes for as much as $600.

To deal with its problem, Nintendo on Friday announced the voluntary recall and distributed a fact sheet titled “Proper Wii Remote Usage” that points out “players should keep at least 3 feet from their televisions and should dry their hands if they become moist.”

It also advised gamers not to play too forcefully.

Replacement details can be found at Wii.Nintendo.com or by calling (800) 859-4519. Buyers are asked to fill out a form and send it to Nintendo. Users should hold onto their controller as the gamemaker will send out a new strap within five to nine days, the company said.

Since early this month, Nintendo has been shipping fatter straps with the consoles. A spokesman for Best Buy said Friday that consoles bought at that retailer have the thicker straps. However, buyers of standalone remotes—a popular accessory—still have the older, thinner straps, he said.

Carroll McMahon, a north suburban mom, was involved in seven different Wii auctions on eBay before winning one for $505 for her 12-year-old son, Patrick.

“My son never asks for anything,” she said. “He mentioned he would really like the Wii. He totally deserves this.”

She still plans on putting the Wii under the tree.

It will be there for him, right next to a small package with a new strap—if it arrives in time.

Nintendo Wii

w2n — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 04:44:16 +0000

Introducing Nintendo Wii…

Nintendo’s new generation console, which was formerly codenamed Revolution, is now simply named Wii. For the record, it’s pronounced like “we,” despite the different and deliberately odd spelling. Nintendo announced the official name of Wii on April 27, 2006.

The Wii brand is designed to accentuate the console’s unique controller (as represented by the ‘ii’ in the title) and its ability to bring gamers of all types together, hence the name “we.”

The Wii system is the fruit of a new Nintendo philosophy that is determined to emphasize original and fresh gameplay endeavors over dramatically enhanced graphic presentations. Where as both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are designed from the ground up to deliver more detailed, high-definition graphics, Wii’s biggest innovation lies with a potentially revolutionary new controllerand not raw horsepower. It is this controller, dubbed the Wii remote (or Wii-mote for short), which truly distinguishes the Big N’s new platform from its competitors.

Hardware

Wii retail display boxes

The Wii console is Nintendo’s smallest home unit yet; measuring 44 mm wide, 157 mm tall, and 215.4 mm deep in the vertical orientation without the included stand (which itself measures 55.4 mm wide, 44 mm tall, and 225.6 mm deep). It is approximately the size of three standard DVD cases stacked together (approx. 4.5 cm x 15 cm x 20 cm). It also weighs 1.74kg(3.84 pounds), which makes it the lightest of the three current-gen consoles. The console can be placed either horizontally or vertically. The prefix for the numbering scheme of the system and its parts and accessories is “RVL-”, after its project code name of “Revolution”.

The front of the console features an illuminated slot-loading optical media drive that accepts both 12cm Wii game discs and 8cm Nintendo GameCube discs. The blue light in the Disc slot illuminates briefly when the console is turned on, flashes when new data such as messages have been received from WiiConnect24, and remains on if the WiiConnect24 “Slot Illumination” setting is set to “Bright” or “Dim”. The disc slot light does not stay illuminated during game play or when using other features of the Wii console. Two USB ports are located at its rear, and an SD card slot hides behind the cover on the front of the console. However, the usefulness of the SD slot remains in question since, although it can be used to backup saved game data and downloaded Virtual Console games, Virtual Console data cannot be restored to any system except the unit of origin, presumably as a rudimentary form of digital rights management. Also, to utilize SD slot, a software update must be downloaded, so game saves cannot be transferred to or from a system which has not been connected to the internet.

Nintendo has shown the console and the Wii Remote in various colors, including white, black, silver, lime green, and red, but initially it is only available in white. At E3 2006, the Wii Remote was shown in light blue. Numerous minor changes were made to the design between its original unveiling and launch, mostly in the Nintendo branding used and button placements.

The launch Wii package includes the console, a stand to allow the console to be placed vertically, a circular clear stabilizer for the main stand, one Wii Remote, one Nunchuk attachment, one Sensor Bar, a removable stand for the sensor bar, one external main power adapter, two AA batteries, AV cables (component video and other types of cables are available separately), and (in all regions excluding Japan) a copy of Wii Sports.

A Nintendo spokesperson has confirmed that Nintendo plans to release a version of the console with DVD-Video playback capabilities in Japan, but that release in other territories is not currently planned. This corroborates an earlier press release by digital media company Sonic Solutions, stating that Nintendo had chosen their CinePlayer CE DVD Navigator software engine to provide this functionality. Even though software will be used to enable DVD-Video functionality, it apparently “requires more than a firmware upgrade” and cannot therefore be implemented through the WiiConnect24 network.

Wii Channels

The operating system interface for the console is designed around the concept of television channels, with a Wii Menu used to access them. Separate channels are graphically displayed in a grid, and are navigated using the pointer capability of the Wii Remote. There are eight primary channels: the Disc Channel, Mii Channel, News Channel, Forecast Channel, Photo Channel, Wii Shop Channel, Internet Channel and Virtual Console Channel(s).

Backward compatibility

The top of the Wii consoleThe Wii console is backward compatible with all Nintendo GameCube software and most GameCube peripherals. This backwards compatibility is achieved with the help of the slot-loading drive being able to accept GameCube discs, and a set of four GameCube controller ports and two Memory Card slots, concealed by flip-open panels. A GameCube controller is required to play GameCube games, as neither the Wii Remote nor the Classic Controller functions in this capacity. A GameCube memory card is also necessary if you want to save, as the Wii internal flash memory will not save GameCube games. Nintendo has stated that the Wii console is not compatible with the GameCube modem adapter, broadband adapter, Game Boy Player, AV cable, or AC adaptor.

Nintendo DS connectivity

The Wii console supports wireless connectivity with the Nintendo DS. Shigeru Miyamoto said Nintendo was still working out when features using this connectivity would be available, but that it would be soon after the launch of the system, due to the popularity of the Nintendo DS. At Nintendo’s corporate policy meeting in June 2006, Satoru Iwata explained that the DS uses its wireless connectivity to communicate with Wii and that no further accessories are needed.

The connectivity allows the player to use functions like the Nintendo DS’ microphone and touchscreen as inputs for Wii games. The first example Nintendo has given of a game using Nintendo DS-Wii connectivity is that of Pokémon Battle Revolution. Players with either Pokémon Diamond or Pearl are able to play battles using their Diamond or Pearl Pokémon on Wii with the Nintendo DS as a controller.

It has also been confirmed that the Nintendo DS is able to play game demos downloaded from the Wii console which they would receive from Nintendo, similar to a DS Download Station. The console is also able to expand Nintendo DS games.

Online connectivity

Main articles: Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, WiiConnect24, Virtual Console (Wii), and
Internet Channel (Wii)

The Wii console is able to connect to the Internet through its built-in 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and through a USB-to-Ethernet adaptor, with both methods allowing players to access the established Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. Nintendo has stated that the console implements standard Wi-Fi protocols. Wireless encryption by WEP, WPA (TKIP), WPA (AES), and WPA2 (AES) are supported. Just as for the Nintendo DS, Nintendo does not charge fees for playing via the service and the Friend Code system controls how players connect to one another. This system also implements console-based software such as the Wii Message Board, for which a feature is being considered for alerting registered friends for the Wii Message Board about new games that have been purchased.

The service has several features for the Wii console, such as the Virtual Console, WiiConnect24 and Wii Browser. The console can also communicate and connect with other Wii systems through a self-generated wireless LAN, enabling local wireless multiplayer on different television sets. Battalion Wars 2 first demonstrated this feature, for non-split screen multiplayer between two or more televisions. Nintendo announced two Wi-Fi enabled games at LGC 2006 in Leipzig: Mario Strikers Charged, and Battalion Wars 2. Although the console features an online mode, Nintendo has not provided the programming tools for 3rd party developers yet, meaning that only first party Wii games are online so far.

Firmware

The Wii console requires firmware updates from time to time. As reported by IGN, it was discovered that to use the Online Channels, a firmware update was required. Some earlier produced units were reportedly shipped with older firmware, and had some problems. Most units, however, shipped with the latest version.

The first firmware update for the Wii console via the WiiConnect24 feature caused a small portion of units to become unusable. This forced users to either send the unit to Nintendo for repairs where saved data was retained, or exchange it for a free replacement. The latter option had a faster turn around time but led to a loss of saved data.

The latest firmware version for Wii Consoles is 2.0. A letter ‘U’, ‘J’, or ‘E’ follows the version number, signifying an NTSC US, NTSC Japan, or PAL region console.

Wii controller

Nintendo’s official Wii site has opened with more info on the controller. They confirm the use of accelerometers in the Nunchuck: “The Nunchuk controller and the accelerometer contained within it are the next leap in gaming.” That being said, they also state that: “Both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers include a three-axis motion sensor.” This would lead one to believe that both the Wiimote and the Nunchuck use the same sensors, confirmed as accelerometers.

They also have a visual breakdown of the different functions of the Wiimote controller, notice that the “Wave” and the “Point” are two seperate functions. Also of interest is the use of the word “Wave” to describe the movement portion of the controller, the way the sword-swinging worked at E3 could best be described as reading fast waving movements rather than true freehand control.