Team Fremont.com-Nintendo's Road to Holiday 2005 Review

Nintendo's Road to Holiday 2005

You may remember a few months back when Nintendo rolled into town for a visit with Team Fremont. Apparently we didn’t freak them out too badly because they volunteered to come back for another round.

Once again, we arranged our meeting in Hilden’s old ‘hood, despite the fact that none of us live there anymore. But we figured that strange vans pulling up to the curb with people coming in and out is a common occurrence in that area of town, so we were good to go. Despite the fact that we had played most of these titles at E3, it was good to get a refresher course on the ins and outs of each one. We were treated to a handful of DS titles - obviously the highlight of Nintendo’s holiday season – and a small selection of GameCube titles. With Zelda bumped from the holiday lineup, it’s obvious that the GameCube is a hurtin’ unit. Nevertheless, seeing Moe sit down while he played DDR Mario Mix more than made up for the lack of titles.

Let’s start with the DS games…

Nintendo DS

As mentioned, the DS is obviously Nintendo’s focus this holiday season. With more great games coming out than we can count, the DS has taken us by surprise with its lineup. Nintendo’s new commitment to WiFi could wind up making the DS the must-have, runaway success this Christmas. Two of their first party titles (Mario Kart and Animal Crossing) are the killer apps of the season, along with Tony Hawk’s American SK8Land and the forthcoming Metroid Prime Hunters. It’s clear that the DS is no longer the stopgap gimmick that many of us once thought it to be.

Mario Kart DS

Everybody knows what this games is all about… and that’s why we can’t wait to get our hands on the finished product when it hits store shelves on Nov. 14. Mario Kart DS is nearly everything you could hope for in a handheld version of a well-loved franchise title.

As before, you are able to choose from the usual suspects as your racer as well as the ability to pick between a couple of different karts. Our personal favorite was the old indy racer. Nice touch! The circuits are back with four tracks each and multiplayer action is hot and heavy, racing either head-to-head or trying to take down your opponent in the popular balloon battle.

With regard to the gameplay, the controls are tight and the layout is intuitive. Visuals are fantastic, looking better than the N64 in many instances, which makes the experience all the more enjoyable. The touch screen really doesn’t have a direct application, however, the second screen remains open as a full-size map. And FINALLY, let’s not forget, this baby comes WiFi compatible! Hop on your Vespa, scoot over to your nearest McDonald’s and take on the world. Literally. Overall impression… you already know the answer to that question. Start saving your pennies now. You have two weeks!

Click here for our full preview of Mario Kart DS.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

We didn’t get a ton of playtime with this one, but what we did play proved to be worthy of the original GBA title. Mario and Luigi are back in another action RPG where each of the two brothers is controlled independently of one another. As in the last title, this should make for some great puzzle solving elements. [Moe believes it also would make for some erotic situations, but that’s neither here nor there.]

Obviously, the addition of a second screen will make a slight difference in how the game is played, but also new to the series is the addition of everybody’s favorite characters: Baby Mario and Baby Luigi. [Sarcasm? You be the judge.] The top screen will not only display a map, but in certain situations (bosses, etc.) will extend the action screen.

The Mario & Luigi, as with the Paper Mario and Mario RPG titles, are known for not only their surprisingly deep gameplay, but also their hilarious dialogue and goofy sense of humor. Nintendo assures us that Partners in Time will continue this tradition with “twice the side-splitting laughs.”

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time will be released on November 28th.

Viewtiful Joe Double Trouble

Despite all the first-party greatness, one of the titles we are most looking forward to for the Nintendo DS is Capcom’s latest in the Viewtiful Joe series. Viewtiful Joe Double Trouble almost looks too good to be a DS title. And not only does it retain the great elements that made the originals so successful, the touch and dual screen features of the DS add so much more.

The touch screen allows Joe to stop the action, slice the screen in half, and slide part of it forward. For example, if there is a fire directly in front of you blocking your path and a water pipe further ahead, simply use your finger to slice the screen and slide the water pipe back to put out the fire.

As mentioned, graphically the game is about as stunning as anything you could ever expect to find on the DS. For those of you disappointed with the slightly-above-GBA level graphics of past DS titles, this one will definitely serve as your showpiece. The cel-shaded look makes a nice comeback, and looks only slightly below what you’ve experienced in the GameCube version.

Viewtiful Joe Double Trouble should hit stores on November 29th. In the meantime, check out our full preview.

Animal Crossing: Wild World

Again we find ourselves giddy with delight as our dear friends from Noaville are moving back to town in Animal Crossing: Wild World only for the Nintendo DS. Prepare yourselves to surrender another 1000 hours or so of your life to Tom Nook, the village events planning committee and your nice, yet nosy neighbors as they invade your DS on December 5.

Much of this newest installment is true to its predecessor for the GameCube, however there are a few changes that have enhanced the game and will make for a little more personal experience this time around. One small, yet fantastic alteration is the perspective. The camera now sits a little lower to the ground, but unlike the previous version, which had you looking down, as if watching yourself move on a map, the world ahead of you curves ever so slightly as you walk toward what is now a very distinct horizon.

The touch screen is not utilized in a manner, which is essential to the game, however, it does make for significantly faster navigation of the menus and can come in handy when working on your latest fashion designs at the local tailor. WiFi compatibility is also a part of this title and allows your friends to visit your humble abode (with the help of a passcode you give to them, which keeps out the riff raff. Or in our case, Hilden). You will be able to have three guests at a time and a new chat function allows you to communicate directly with them if you are not all sitting in the same room.

Animal Crossing: Wild World has all the great elements old the old plus many great additions in its new incarnation. If you liked the first, do NOT miss this one!

Click here for more on Animal Crossing: Wild World.

GameCube

What happened to our poor purple cubes? Well, for starters, this holiday’s must-have blockbuster, Zelda, was pushed back to FY06, leaving only a few decent titles in its shadow. Between Battalion Wars, Fire Emblem, and Mario Superstar Baseball, most of Nintendo’s big first-party titles have been released. So what’s left? It seems that Mario Strikers is their last big first-party game for the holiday season. Beyond that, Nintendo seems content to rely on third-party titles like DDR: Mario Mix to round out their lineup.

Super Mario Strikers

Developed by Next Level Games, Super Mario Strikers plays similarly to Sega Soccer Slam. Players select one team captain and three “minions” to round out their team. The selectable captains are Mario, Wario, Peach, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Daisy, Waluigi, Luigi, and others that become unlocked as you progress through the game. Your teammates are characters such as the Hammer Bros., Toad, and other side characters from the Mario universe.

As with other titles in the Mario sports franchises, the highlight of this title should be its pick-up-and-play/multiplayer features. The game is fast-paced, goofy, and features very tight controls. Players begin with three available fields, each of which with their own characteristics. Players are encouraged to "check" their opponents, knocking them out of position or into the electric barrier that surrounds each of the fields. The captains also have their own special shooting move that is accomplished by charging up the B button and then timing the power bar in two spots again with the B button. These shots are worth two points.

Moe would like it to be known that he came out the victor in our match with a score of 4-2. John would like it to be known that Moe is an asshole.

While Super Mario Strikers does seem to be a great game, especially in multiplayer mode, it’s hard for us to imagine spending $50 on this title. With a $30 price tag, however, it really would be a can’t miss entry into the Mario Sports world. Super Mario Strikers hits retail on December 5th.

Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix

Speaking of John’s sister, nothing says "Dance for Me!" like a new DDR game featuring Mario and his band of merry misfits. Mario Mix is everything you would expect from a DDR title plus the quirky storyline that must accompany every little thing Mario gets his hands on. In this case, somebody has stolen the musical keys and Mario has been tapped to get them back. It’s up to you, or John’s sister, to bounce, hop, jump, and jiggle your way to the keys and their safe return to wherever it is Mario lives this time.

The game plays exactly like any other DDR game that has been released for any other system (the dance pad peripheral comes packaged with the game), but like so many Mario titles, this one comes packed with unlockable mini games. We didn’t, however, get a chance to see any of these, because for some reason the Nintendo van didn’t have a saved game to display any of them. That… and you know how John is about dancing and coordination. Let’s just say it’s not pretty. Thank God for his sister. Did I mention she used to be an aerobics instructor? Moving on.

The tunes from which you can expect to inspire your groove are all classics in the Nintendo stable, each with its own remix to make it a bit more palatable for the DDR experience. After all, what good is a dance game without enough bass to bring down a brick house? There are a couple of unrelated tracks, but like the mini games, we did not get a chance to see what they were.

For those of you who enjoy shaking your groove thang to a console gaming system and have a special place in your heart for that cute little red-panted Italian, you can’t pass this up. For the rest of you, it’s still DDR. You decide.

Etc.

Beyond the games they showed, Nintendo also demonstrated the vast superiority of the new back-lit GBA SP over the old "side-lit" screen. Firing up two copies of Final Fantasy I&II: Dawn of Souls, one on the old SP and one on the new, it was immediately apparent how greatly improved this screen is. If you don’t have an SP yet and aren’t sure about the DS, the new and improved SP is a must-buy.

This holiday season, Nintendo is all about the bundle packages. With the Nintendo DS, they already have a Nintendogs bundle running for $149.99, featuring a teal Nintendogs skin, as well as a screen cleaner and other Nintendogs related accessories. Upon the release of Mario Kart DS, Nintendo will be offering a special edition Red DS bundled with the game, presumably for the same $149.99 price tag as the Nintendogs bundle.

On the GameCube side of things, you can pick up the console bundled with either Super Smash Bros.: Melee or Pokemon XD for $99.99, and catch up on the backlog of GameCube titles while you wait for Zelda to be released.

While this holiday season won’t see the strongest lineup the Cube has ever had, it certainly is becoming the DS’s time to shine. While our Cubes get cold and dusty, the DS is going to be the place to game, and we can’t wait.

For more information, be sure to listen to our next episode of Team Fremont Live, where we’ll be discussing Nintendo’s latest visit in more detail.

Article By: John and Moe