N-Bits Volume 5
Glad to see you came back for another round of grab-bag fun with N-Bits volume five. If you want to get up to speed on the current N-Bits topics, just use the links on the side to check out previous issues. Checking out volume four is a definite this week since we will be revisiting some of those subjects with more in-depth discussions.
So lets begin, shall we? I would like to first discuss some current news and issues (page 1). After said discussion, we will move onto reader feedback (page 2) and finally another peak into games that have been wrongly neglected (page 3). The wrongly neglected titles that we will cover this week are Pikmin 2, Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, 1080: Avalanche, and Viewtiful Joe.
Odds And Ends
First things first, I am pretty certain that Nintendo Puzzle Collection won't come out in North America this year. I contacted Nintendo of America (NOA) about it personally and they were still not certain if the game would be localized for this year, and perhaps even at all. But dont fret just yet puzzle fans, as Nintendo included Puzzle Collection in a special summer catalogue, even citing that it had the game that inspired Pokemon Puzzle League with Panel de Pon
Furthermore, we now have word about the Mario Kart: Double Dash Bonus Disc. Although Nintendo won't disclose what is on it specifically, we have learned that it will contain six playable demos, some downloadable Game Boy Advance content, and several game trailers. Not bad, huh? As for what those six games are, well nobody can be sure. However, I wouldn't be too surprised if there were a lot of third party games on there considering Nintendo is shifting it's stance on third party software lately. Perhaps you will see demos for games such as Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, Beyond Good & Evil, and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time to name a few. I'll bet there is going to be a Pikmin 2 demo on there to boot. But will we be able to tear ourselves away from Mario Kart: DD long enough to care? Bah, who am I kidding. Bring it on.
Finally, I would like to comment on Nintendos partnerships. In particular I would like to point out the partnership between Konami and Nintendo. What many people have not noticed is that Denis Dyack gave explicit information about the future of the relationship. He told the press that this deal with Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is only the beginning, even though he cant talk about specifics. On top of all the other partnerships on the go, now they even have a solid one with Konami? Nintendo is on a serious role, and I cant wait to see what comes of all this hard work in third-party relations.
All Things Metal
For the Tokyo Game Show 2003, Konami released a brand new trailer for the upcoming killer title Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. If you havent seen it yet, you can watch the movie here. Please note that there are pretty significant spoilers within the footage.
Last week I was telling readers to get excited about this landmark of a title and this new trailer only seems to support my claims. I have to say that it was the first time I had shivers run through my body in a long time. In fact, the trailer had me almost shaking by the time it ended (note: I did watch it with headphones, so the sound was loud and had a great deal of impact.) The animation was astounding, the direction remarkable, and the audio refreshingly dramatic. Consider me sold five times over.
Two things really came to mind after watching the trailer: first, the story is just as deep and dramatic as I remember it being. One thing that I completely forgot to mention last week was just how great the script for Metal Gear Solid actually is. Like Eternal Darkness, the script is both respectful of the viewer and deep enough to put most movies to shame. And when I say respectful of the viewer, I mean that the pacing is not rushed for the sake of cinema length. Many games have these short little story sequences with scripts that are usually rushed and unrealized, but not Metal Gear Solid. When people have a conversation it plays out with excellent length so as to immerse the player in all the intrigue. One small qualm I had with the original version was that the cut-scenes sometimes were just showpieces for audio, since the graphics didnt do the story justice. Today we can throw that argument out the window, which brings me to my second point: the recreation of the cut-scenes.
When Nintendo, Konami, and Silicon Knights started their collaboration; they soon took on another big name in Ryuhei Kitamura. Best known for his work on the movie Versus, this director is bringing the dramatic edge that is lacking in many story-driven games today. Hideo Kojima, the father of the Metal Gear series, was at first a little bit apprehensive about letting Kitamura re-direct the scenes in a more dramatic way. However, after seeing his ideas bring new life to the characters, he could not resist. The new direction of the cut-scenes is absolutely breathtaking in the new footage, and in my opinion, makes the characters even more incredible. This rings true especially in the case of Solid Snake, who is meant to be a legend in his field. And not only is the direction amazing, but cut-scenes are far more interesting through body language. The new models animate fluidly with lip-synching, eye movements, and facial expressions. So what used to be a lifeless puppet show is now as close to an interactive movie-going experience as possible.
In short, this game looks fantastic. All the new content should end up pleasing both newcomers and veterans alike. Its the kind of fresh air that Nintendo gamers have been looking for with its incredible story, complex characters, and fun gameplay. So far, its a big thumbs up to Silicon Knights and everyone else involved in the production of the game.