[Nintendo DS 48] In the Navy

quote:

Op vrijdag 17 maart 2006 22:40 schreef Thomper het volgende:
1 en 3 krijgen zeker al een Europese release. Alleen nummertje 2 is nog onderzeker.

quote:

Op zaterdag 18 maart 2006 10:15 schreef Thomper het volgende:

[..]

Gefeliciteerd met de toekomstige aankoop van een toptitel

quote:

The latest installment in the Metroid series is an action-packed thrill ride, and is most notable for being the first true killer app for the Nintendo DS. For those who played the First Hunt demo, the game has gone through some major changes, most of which you'll spot almost immediately.
The Prime Universe is Expansive
Metroid Prime: Hunters takes place between the events of Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. Fittingly, you'll notice that Samus Aran still pilots the ship from Metroid Prime, but bears the armor from Echoes. The Galactic Federation has advised Samus to investigate the appearance of mysterious artifacts -- Octoliths -- that were left behind by an ancient civilization. These artifacts are spread throughout the galaxy in five different zones. You're able to freely visit each area via Samus's ship.

In-game, Hunters contains a perfect blend of puzzles, shoot-outs, and portal jumping. But in the game's sizeable environments, don't expect a straightforward, linear experience. To gather the best weapons and unlock new areas, you'll need to visit each world multiple times. When you're not spraying energy blasts in every direction, the scan visor will help you locate and examine key items -- items that will unlock doors and activate portals.

Being part of the Metroid series, Samus's Morph Ball factors into much of the gameplay. You can use the DS's stylus to scoot around, but the directional pad is a lot more intutive (and precise). At times, the camera will swing out in areas for a two-dimensional view of the surroundings, which comes in handy because the third-person view isn't always ideal for Morph Ball segments.

There's a Bounty on Your Head
You're not alone in the quest to collect all the Octoliths. Samus has some serious competition, in the form of six deadly bounty hunters. These characters are more than just cardboard cutout deathmatch opponents; they have tunique attributes, attack patterns, and sidearms. Though you'll only ever fight one at a time, the penalty for failure is significant. Fall before another hunter and you'll lose your Octolith, meaning you'll have to track down your rival to win it back. In this way, Hunter's single player experience is different every time you play.

Although the single player game will provide you with hours of entertainment, the multiplayer in Hunters could be a game all unto its own. As you defeat hunters in the single-player game, they become unlocked for multiplayer use. Playing as series mainstay Samus Aran is fun, but the multiplayer characters offer their own perks and benefits. Multiplayer features 20 arenas with seven different modes, including Survival, Bounty, and Prime Hunter in which up to four players can compete through a wireless connection -- with or without a copy of the game -- and over Nintendo's WiFi network. Nintendo is really betting on Hunters to be a key DS multiplayer title: if you engage the "rival radar" and leave the game in sleep mode, other players in the vicinity to download your stats and mark you as a rival to battle at a later time. Cool!

Pushing the Limits
Hunter's visuals shine on the DS. Upon entering Morph Ball mode, Samus armor reflects light, shimmering like a new car. But it's the environments in Hunters that really show off the visual capabilities of the Nintendo DS. Each of the five worlds follows a different theme ranging from sleek frozen ice to molten lava. Even though the frame rate typically stays smooth and consistent, you will experience some jerkiness upon entering a large room containing four or more enemies.

The first-person touch screen controls in Hunters may be impressive from a technical standpoint, but they falter when it comes to precision aiming. An auto-aim function would have been helpful, but you won't find one in the option menu. You can, however, adjust the sensitivity and choose from four different control types -- southpaws are welcome -- and setting options that enable you to play with or without the stylus.

Approximately as big as Metroid Prime on the GameCube, it's hard to imagine how Nintendo squeezed Hunters into a tiny DS cartridge. Metroid Prime: Hunters is a very polished game, suffering more from small quirks than actual flaws. Come March 20th, be prepared for one of Nintendo's greatest achievements yet.

quote:

Op zaterdag 18 maart 2006 10:15 schreef Thomper het volgende:

[..]

Gefeliciteerd met de toekomstige aankoop van een toptitel

quote:

Op zaterdag 18 maart 2006 17:48 schreef Roi het volgende:

[..]

quote:

Op zaterdag 18 maart 2006 18:10 schreef Morthill het volgende:

[..]

Wat is er mis met het geniale Phoenix Wright

quote:

Op zondag 19 maart 2006 09:34 schreef Xrenity het volgende:
http://www.putfile.com/grantheaslip
Scans van oa New SMB
80+ levels en 8 werelden

PWN!

quote:

Op zondag 19 maart 2006 10:48 schreef Notorious_Roy het volgende:
80 levels? Als er maar warpzones zijn dan

quote:

Op zondag 19 maart 2006 10:48 schreef Notorious_Roy het volgende:
80 levels? Als er maar warpzones zijn dan

quote:

Op zondag 19 maart 2006 15:25 schreef Xrenity het volgende:

[..]

Miyamoto zei zelfs dat er van die ouderwetse truukjes in zaten als aan de bovenkant van het scherm lopen enzo

quote:

Op zondag 19 maart 2006 15:36 schreef magnifor het volgende:

[..]

Het zou ook geen Mario zijn als die truukjes er niet in zaten imo.:)

quote:

Op maandag 20 maart 2006 10:22 schreef Webby het volgende:
Ik ben een gaming mietje de laatste tijd. Hoe hardcore ik ook lijk op een gegeven moment kom ik vast te zitten en gaat de game na vele vruchteloze pogingen de kast in. Kut Bowser (SPP)

quote:

Op maandag 20 maart 2006 10:22 schreef Webby het volgende:
Ik ben een gaming mietje de laatste tijd. Hoe hardcore ik ook lijk op een gegeven moment kom ik vast te zitten en gaat de game na vele vruchteloze pogingen de kast in. Kut Bowser (SPP)

quote:

Op maandag 20 maart 2006 10:32 schreef Webby het volgende:
Ik heb de 4e niet eens gebruikt en ik sta al tegenover bowser ...

En ik mis 1 puzzelstukje, maar er is geen manier om uit te vinden in welke wereld hij zit, je kan niet zien welk stukje je mist, hooguit van welke puzzel. Als je dan nagaat dat per puzzel de stukjes over 2 werelden verspreid liggen met uitzondering van x-1, daar ligt muziek en x-6, daar is de baas ben je wel even zoet voor 1 zo'n stom stukkie

quote:

Op maandag 20 maart 2006 10:45 schreef disjfa het volgende:
Je weet wel welke stukken je al wel hebt

quote:

Op maandag 20 maart 2006 10:27 schreef Notorious_Roy het volgende:
Haha, ik vind SPP ook niet altijd even makkelijk hoor. Komt meestal omdat ik te ongeduldig ben (en gister er pas achter kwam wat de vierde emotie deed ).

quote:

Op maandag 20 maart 2006 16:10 schreef Webby het volgende:

[..]

BTW. jat Peach haar parapluutje, Geef haar een dril boor, verbeter het leveldesign van goed tot perfect, laat de miniscule glitches weg, maak de eindbaas gevechten leuker en include rumble op de cartridge ipv. als option pack en je hebt Drill Dozer

quote:

Op dinsdag 21 maart 2006 08:20 schreef Strolie75 het volgende:
Is er eigenlijk al een review van Worms gesignaleerd?

quote:

Op dinsdag 21 maart 2006 10:10 schreef Notorious_Roy het volgende:
Pfff, ik heb gisternacht echt 30 keer geprobeerd om level 5-1 te halen Zat vast bij die pijlen tussen die rotswanden... Toen bedacht ik me dat ik natuurlijk ook kon zweven

quote:

Op dinsdag 21 maart 2006 10:10 schreef Notorious_Roy het volgende:
Pfff, ik heb gisternacht echt 30 keer geprobeerd om level 5-1 te halen Zat vast bij die pijlen tussen die rotswanden... Toen bedacht ik me dat ik natuurlijk ook kon zweven

quote:

Typical Nintendo. With the DS selling so well that it's practically apologetic about it, it announces a new version and releases it before anyone's had a chance to complain too bitterly.

Not so typical Nintendo: the DS Lite has virtually nothing wrong with it. It is, almost without qualification, the perfect encapsulation of all the DS's features. At least until they do the next version anyway.

AdvertisementEven so, you're probably wondering what the point is in buying one. After all, the Game Boy Micro may have been a handsome answer to a question no-one asked, but it was still a question no-one asked. Well, by that token, the DS Lite is a tall dark handsome stranger with your pants in its hand, and you can't even remember leaving the house, let alone sidling up to anyone hopefully.

Or something. Actually that's a bit sinister. It's a very pretty handheld with a very bright screen and a lot of improved design features - let's put it that way.

Comparing it to other handhelds (and we've done spent a fair bit of time doing that for our photo feature - and yes those are my hands), the footprint doesn't even cover the top screen of the original DS. It's over a centimetre smaller on each axis - but the biggest reduction is from left to right.

Little and large.
The top's very glossy, with the DS Lite's cute two-screen logo embossed on the top and the battery and Wi-Fi indicators visible at the right of the hinge - with the screen open or closed.

Moving around, the volume slider and headphone sockets remain in the same places, but the power button has now moved out from inside onto the right-hand side, where it uses a PSP or laptop-style flick-slider to switch on and off.

Next to the power button is the slot where the new stylus hides. The new stylus is a bit of a revelation - it's longer and slightly broader than the original, and, as the start of something of a theme, the change makes a big difference for good. It's not quite like holding a pen (and anybody who's adjusted to using something like Namco's Pac-Pix stylus may still find it a bit short), but it's much less like fiddling with a toothpick. If I lose this one in the pub I probably will cry.

Cartridge slots remain where they were - although the GBA slot now has a small dust protector, which even has little teeth on the inside. It's the same colour as the DS itself, and you'll need to stow it in a pocket if you're playing a GBA game. That said, you're less likely too leave a GBA game in place than you were before, as the cart protrudes about a third of the way. Amazingly, this is about the biggest complaint I have about the Lite.

Before we head inside, there's room for the others - and they're not exactly deal-breakers. Firstly, the underside is as glossy as the top, which is a bit weird since your fingertips tend to get a bit slick after a while clasping it. Or at least mine do. Eat healthily and exercise and the DS Lite has one less thing wrong with it! Yay!

Game Boy's growing out of his clothes.
Which leaves the final thing - the power connector is different to all Nintendo's previous handhelds (including the recent GB Micro, although the two appear similar in photographs). Those importing a Lite will need a step-down transformer to charge the Lite, and those waiting for the UK model will need to set aside yet another plug socket - at least until somebody does another of those handy USB charge cables.

And so to the inside. It's nice on the inside.

For a start, it's not glossy; it's just smooth, and the top-screen panel is slightly concave, whereas the lower half is flat-faced apart from the buttons and the touch-screen, which is slightly raised. The whole thing is a mass of simple, elegant lines and curves.

Another improvement is in the physical relationship between the two screens - the top screen is no longer as high above the bottom when the console's laid flat. While the gap between the two screens is about the same - with the microphone now helpfully sandwiched there instead of down on the right - the layout looks and feels less awkward to play on.

Button-wise, Start and Select are now down in the bottom-right corner, which might take a little getting use to, while the d-pad and face buttons are spongy rather than clicky, and the d-pad itself is slightly smaller on each axis. This is arguably preferable, and doesn't seem to have a negative impact anywhere - in fact, pushing in and out of turns in Mario Kart feels a touch easier.

But, after all that teasing, easily the biggest improvement of the lot is one that you might not imagine - simply, the screen is magnificently bright. No, we didn't fake that photograph. It's the best screen Nintendo's ever included in a handheld. Twice in one go. The colours are strikingly bright, and there are now four brightness settings accessed using the little lightbulb icon in the bottom-left of the menu screen, which previously toggled the backlight.

Osu!
We never really complained about the old DS screen, but put next to its younger sibling it draws howls of derision. Really, howls - we're not showing it to girls any more, they hurt our ears. It and our enemy the sun appear to have found some mutual respect, too. Unlike the PSP, when I sat in Victoria Tower Gardens on a sunny day in March (wait, the sunny day in March) with the sun beaming at me from above, it was quite possible to complete a couple of tricky levels on Ouendan using the highest brightness setting. It's not optimal, but the glare is barely distracting despite the screens' relative angles.

The screen also feels more resistant to your stylus strokes. Got your current DS handy? Pick up your stylus and run it over the original DS screen and try to bring it to a precise halt - it's relatively hard not to overrun. The new touch-screen feels a bit rougher, and while this is peculiar at first, it's very useful in games like the aforementioned Ouendan, which relies on small, precise and rhythmic strokes.

Really, I've got very few criticisms. We've not measured battery life properly yet, but I've been playing with it since last week, revisiting game after game and showing off the brightness of the screen to people, and it's still up and running on its original charge. Meanwhile my iPod has run out of juice three times.

In other words, it feels like a healthy figure. Which leaves the way GBA carts stick out of the bottom and the new power adapter. And our greasy hands.

As for colours - you may have noticed I went for the "Arctic Blue" or "Andrex puppy" colour. And you might question it. (Let us say, for the purpose of this paragraph, that you in fact have.) Well, first of all, that's a bit much coming from someone in that shirt, and second of all, I decided I wanted to surf the wave of new technology, form the vanguard, cut edges and something about envelopes; all without getting mugged on the Tube thank-you.

So ha ha indeed. I'd still rather have a DS Lite than a DS. Even if it is the Armitage Shanks edition.

quote:

Op dinsdag 21 maart 2006 13:43 schreef Yankee_One het volgende:
Age of Empires binnen

Weet iemand of Worms DS weer Nederlandse stemmetjes heeft?