The Conduit's game engine was really impressive until I remembered that Metroid Prime 1 looked better.

Why is it that a game that released over ten years ago in 1997 still has some of the best and most interesting enemy AI and a game releasing today might have AI that doesn't even try and evade your gunfire?

Factor 5 must have been run by wizards because their launch title for the GameCube, Rogue Leader, still looks better than anything I've seen from a third party on the Wii. This would also explain their closure as they probably banished themselves to an alternate plane of existence by accident.

The "news" should stop worrying about how much M rated games sell on the Wii as if the results will dramatically control the future release of "real" games on the system that aren't meant for the casual market. Turns out those types of games can be rated E and T. It also turns out that being M rated doesn't have much to do with the matter. A game will sell more copies if it is good.

Mad World would've been a success if it was worth playing for more than a half hour.

If the Wii is more powerful than the GameCube (however slightly) why do most titles look worse than GameCube games?

A Turok game needs only a few things; dinosaurs, guns, and some interesting enemies and levels to get through. If they'd stop wasting their time on a story no one cares about I could be playing a new Turok. I could be sucking dinosaurs into a black hole with my gun that shoots black holes.

The definition of a "gamer" is possibly the stupidest subject I've seen since France.

Goodbye, June. We hardly knew ye.
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I hope you have a really good weekend. I really do. No, really.
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Kevin showed Cory and I the homebrew channel on his Wii when we were out there for E3 earlier this month. Unfortunately, he did not adequately prepare us for the unveiling of "Dragon's Lair" for the NES.

A more traditional episode to get all that pizza out of your mouth from E3. Get your episode now on iTunes (search for Nintendorks Radio in the iTunes store) or right here.


I've been a bit preoccupied so I'm glad Mark was able to put together an episode. Plus it's one I got to listen to without knowing what would be discussed! I would describe it as both "riveting" and "an edge of your seat thriller."



Have a topic idea you'd like us to discuss? Tell us at radio@nintendorks.com.

It looks like the DS is having a rhythm game renaissance, what with Rhythm Heaven, Elite Beat Agents, and KORG-DS 10 offering beat-friendly gamers a number of choices for their portable system. Seems odd, then, that the franchise that made all of this cool—Guitar Hero—has had two welcome-yet-bizarrely-obtuse entries on Nintendo’s prime moneymaker. The newest iteration on the series, Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits, fixes some of the series’ niggling problems, but it’s still more Van Hagar than it is Van Halen. But hey, at least it’s not Whitesnake, right?
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Two dorks enter, one dork leaves.
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A lot of dismay exists for the Wii from those looking for more traditional gaming experiences. E3 showed a glimpse of some good games headed to this demographic, but in the end those games aren't released yet unless you like golf. Still, I'd like to remind you not only that patience is a virtue, but at least you north americans aren't in something we like to call a PAL country like Australia or Middle Earth.

The Wii has officially become a platform for games having the quality of the the supermarket toy section. Remember that crappy section with the imitation Gi-Joes and squirt guns that barely work? No wait, that would be better, because it remembers that kids like certain toys. I've never seen a toy birthday cake so someone could pretend they're having a birthday party. This is a game for you immortals out there who never age because you can never know the joy of a true birthday.

Cory: They should release "It's My Birthday 2: It's Not My Birthday!"
The Stranger: Actually, the game is being released in North America as "Birthday Party Bash," which destroys the article's entire jab at foreign countries.

Remember that patent Nintendo filed that would allow a player that was stuck in a game to pretty much just let the game play that part for them, and then jump in when they felt comfortable? The USA Today is reporting that feature will be making it into "New Super Mario Bros. Wii" this year.

"Hardcore" gamers might scoff, but wouldn't you like to have the ability to let the game perform any bullshit not-fun task you don't feel like doing yourself? This is just the next step in getting away from the older idea of "beating" a game with limited lives and continues, and another step toward just having a fun experience without bullshit you don't care about getting in the way.

Update! I just realized Travis posted the exact same thing slightly before I did. Boy, is my face red. Also, damn you, Travis. At least I have a source. Yeah, screw you, Travis.

"New Super Mario Bros. Wii" will be the first Nintendo game to feature "demo play." When I glanced at the news headlines on this matter I was initially delighted, thinking that Nintendo finally got their heads around the very simple concept that downloadable demos of your games will help sell them. Unfortunately, this isn't the case.

"Demo play" allows someone having trouble with a game to essentially let the AI take over for them and get their playable character past a hard part so they can take over again when they feel like it. This is designed for all those "casual" gamers Nintendo keeps talking about and is a means of immersing them into other game types. It's a great idea really, despite my poking fun at how it removes personal triumphs and growth from your game playing process. Unless I have some sort of a challenge I'm typically not enjoying the game as much, but then I'm not the kind of person this feature was created for.

It seems that "New Super Mario Bros. Wii" is going to be the testing ground for this feature and determine whether or not it's used in other games. Is it odd that I'm just intrigued as to whether or not I can leave the game playing itself for a while so I can have it running in the background? Imagine the feature in place for a more cinematic game. It could be like putting on a bad movie while you do some work on the computer.