Maximum Review: Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D

"Wow," you're probably saying. "MetaMoss promises more opinion articles, and then he just does two reviews in a row." I was planning on doing some sort of general opinion post, but my completion of Snake Eater 3D that happened earlier than I expected changed that. My reasoning for doing a review now is so the game is still fresh in my mind. Enough of my reasoning. Lets get on with the review. Oh, as a side note: Some parts of this review may be formatted differently than my RE: Revelations review. I'm still figuring out what kind of setup I like.

Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D

Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 for DS Coming to Japan in June

I know I said in my last post (today for me) that I was going to cut down on news, but this shiz-nit is major. The "third" entry of the fifth generation of Pokémon has been announced, but it's not what most expected. It seems the theoretical Pokémon Gray for 3DS will not be coming out, instead two games will take its place: Pokémon Black 2 and Pokémon White 2 will be coming out in Japan this June on the old-school DS. The featured mascot for both games is the Pokémon Kyurem, though it seems to be fused with the legendary Pokémon Zekrom and Reshiram for Black 2 and White 2 respectively, though Zekrom and Reshiram were the mascots for the opposite game in their original appearances.

DragonBall Z's Fusion technique meets Pokémon. It was inevitable.

Maximum Review: Resident Evil: Revelations

The tagline for Maximum Nintendo is "A blog about anything related to Nintendo. News, commentary, reviews. All that good stuff." I've given you news and commentary, but have yet to bring a review. Well today changes that. My reviews will not be like the major gaming websites where you have scores like 7.8/10 or 4 out of 5 for the games. I'm not gonna do that because a) I'd probably never give a score below 7/10 b) I can't express my feelings of a game in numbers that well anyway and c) It's cool to be different. Also, since I'm just some guy blogging, I won't be able to review games until at least a couple of weeks after the release date. I don't really have a set idea of how I want my reviews to go in terms of setup, so I may experiment a lot with this. Enough with the rambling, and let's get to that review.

Resident Evil: Revelations

Nintendo Direct News

The second Nintendo Direct presentation brought some pretty big news about new games coming out. Here's a quick recap.

First was the 3DS eShop title Dillion's Rolling Western, which, according to the video, is out today. From what was shown on Nintendo Direct, it looks like something worth picking up. The other 3DS title with a newly-announced release date is Mario Tennis Open, which is out May 20th. This will be the first Mario Tennis game to have online multiplayer, and it also has touch-screen shortcuts for certain shots. Also mentioned was Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir, an AR-based horror game thats coming out on Friday, April 13th.

The Wii got someannouncements too. First is we know what will be on the back of Xenoblade Chronicle's cover. Facebook fans voted, and here's the winner:

It's definitely beautiful, and I wasn't going to mad if any of them won. Xenoblade comes out on April 6th only at Nintendo's online store and GameStop locations. And this wasn't the only Operation Rainfall-related news today. RPG fans, rejoice. The Last Story is coming to the US this year from XSEED. 

That's all the bit new announcements we got from Nintendo today, and if you want more details, go check out the presentation at nintendo.com/nintendo_direct

Masahiro Sakurai is Beginning Work on the Next Smash Bros.

Today, Kirby and Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai announced on his Twitter account that he has begun work on the next Smash Bros. title, which has been slated for both the Wii U and 3DS. Sakurai had to wait until completing Kid Icarus: Uprising to start his work. His first step is going to be researching the official Super Smash Bros. Brawl website, Smash Bros. Dojo, which was full of info about Brawl that came with daily updates. Sakurai is reportedly overwhelmed by his own game, as he comments about the sheer amount of content in Brawl:

However, what's the word... it's tremendous. How did we make this?

Looks like he wants to raise the bar with this next Smash Bros., but this time, with two platforms to develop for, it's going to be a tough task for him. But seeing his other works and the sheer quality of them, I'm not that concerned. I'm really excited about the prospect of a multi-platform Smash Bros., especially one I could take on the go (which has been a dream of mine since my GBA days, though it did kinda die down once I got a Wii and Brawl). 

I absolutely owned as Meta Knight in Brawl. The day I learned he was banned from official tournaments was a sad day (even though I'll probably never be in one)

2nd Nintendo Direct Coming Tomorrow

As announced on the 3DS application Swapnote by Nintendo of America's Chief Officer Reggie Fils-Aime, the second Nintendo Direct online presentation will be coming out tomorrow (Feb. 22) at 6 am Pacific Time (9 am Eastern) at nintendo.com/nintendo_direct. Japan is also getting its own tomorrow at 8 pm local time. Last Nintendo Direct, which was last October, we got aome pretty cool announcements about the 3DS, and this one should be no different.

The Regginator is going to tell you how it is

The first Nntendo Direct had exclusively 3DS announcements, but I'm hoping for some Wii U in there. To be honest, I can't remember what was announced specifically at the last Nintendo Direct, but I do remember it got me really excited. Some ideas about what will be announced tomorrow that I've seen included the rumored "Pokémon Gray" for 3DS or even that Seaman revival I talked about in my last post. But we can all expect to hear something very cool tomorrow, so don't miss it!

Rumor: Nintendo to Start Reviving 3rd Party Franchises? Sega's Seaman Supposedly Coming First

Here's an interesting story. According to the Japanese-focused gaming website Andriasang, the Japanese paper Nikkei featured an article about Nintendo, which mentioned plans to revive other publisher's titles for the 3DS to bring unique titles for the system. Specifically mentioned was the Sega Dreamcast virtual pet title Seaman. The game is about learning how to take care of a seaman, basically a fish with a human face (creepy, I know), while kinda being helped by Leonard Nimoy (Spock of Star Trek fame, for those of you who live in a cave). The game's creator, Yoot Saito, already hinted at a Seaman release for 3DS back in 2010, so this may be more than just a rumor. Seaman was decently popular in Japan, and it was the third best-selling game on the Dreamcast, and it earned both a remake and a sequel on the PlayStation 2.

I swear this will be in my nightmares for at least a month

What the 3DS Means to Me

If there was one thing that defined my 2011, it would have to be my discovery of the Fullmeal Alchemist series. Oh, and Nintendo released a new handheld. No big deal. I mean, c'mon. It's got a new Mario installment, a remake of Ocarina and Star Fox 64, and some puzzle platformer called Pushmo or whatever. It can't be more than that to me, right? Well, to put it lightly, no. The 3DS has given me experiences I haven't had before, and some Nintendo fans haven't had on their consoles in a while, if it all.

I mean, its not like this thing brought some revolutionary glasses-free 3D tech or anything like that

I was a first-day adopter of the 3DS. Preordered it at GameStop, yadda yadda. I just had to experience the glasses-free 3D as soon as possible. So what was available at day one? Really, not much. I picked up Pilotwings Resort and Super Street Fighter IV to play. This was the first good thing the 3DS did for me: it got me into the Street Fighter series. Before, I had only passing knowledge of the series. Now, I know how to Hadoken with the best of them (maybe I'll throw in a Spinning Piledriver if I'm feeling bored). The next day, a Monday, was when the 3DS started really bringing me awesome.

Ken reminds Ryu that his Shoryuken burns. Literally.

The middle of Freshman year for me was tough. I go to a private Christian school, and even though everybody knows each other, I felt pretty alone. Earlier in the year I had football to keep me busy and in social interaction, but after that, it was a toss-up. Video game discussion in particular were an absolute nightmare for me. It was basically me with my Nintendo fanboyism and my "gameplay is king" argument vs. everyone else and their "Nintendo has sucky graphix and you're just a stupid idiot for liking them" argument. Then, on March 28, 2011, that all changed when I pulled out my 3DS and totally blew the minds of even the most outspoken Nintendo haters. Enough people were piling around to play Super Street Fighter IV that I was considering to start charging. Minds were blown even more when I mentioned that the aforementioned Street Fighter installment was a port of a game from the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3. The pre-installed games Face Raiders and AR Games bought even more imploding of human craniums. Now no one really argues about video games, especially since pretty much all of the strict Nintendo haters left anyway. I also don't feel as alone at school because over the summer I worked for the father of one of my classmates at his apple orchards, and now I'm really great friends with the family. Anyways off topic talk about life is off topic.

Totally what I felt like that day I brought my 3DS

The 3DS's early months and its relative lack of games meant that in my desperation for new games, I purchased titles I probably wouldn't have otherwise. Games like Ridge Racer 3D and Dead or Alive Dimensions introduced me to series I only knew from their slightly exaggerated internet reputation. Other series I got introduced to by the 3DS are Rayman, Nintendogs, and Resident Evil. Especially Resident Evil. The Mercenaries 3D and Revelations gave me both the action and survival horror takes of the series. Not only did the 3DS bring me existing series, but it also brought me new games to enjoy.

Revelations is a pretty good-looking game

Downloadable games Mighty Switch Force and Pushmo come to mind, as well as the retail launch title Steel Diver. These games are fun and unique, though only Pushmo really was groundbreaking, in my opinion. Nintendo Video has brought some good videos to watch, and Nintendo Show 3D on the eShop has suprised me in more ways than one. But what's next for the 3DS in my personal experience? Plenty, to be sure.

Honestly, I'm suprised that the Pushmo Park hasn't been shut down from all the kids getting trapped

Games that I'm planning to buy for the system that will my first title in the respective series include Tekken 3D: Prime Edition, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D, and Kid Icarus: Uprising. These titles and more will keep me busy for the time being, and will definitely be putting off my planned purchase of a PlayStation Vita. Yes, I've made a few potshots at it, and I even mentioned my Nintendo fanboyism in this very post, but I do want to support handheld gaming as much as possible now with smartphones and tablets seeking to kill it. Yes, I write this post on my Samsung Galaxy 10.1 tablet, but it can't replace my 3DS, as much as a computer will never replace consoles for me as long as consoles exist. As for the 3DS, it represents to me the beginning of a return to form for Nintendo, where the video game press actually treats it to be a legitimate game company instead of some stupid joke, where schoolyard debates about video games will no longer be a losing battle for the Nintendo fans, and where third-party developers will line up to produce games for a Nintendo console, not unlike the SNES days. From what I'm seeing, Nintendo has the same idea that I'm having, and they're ready to rock.

Disney Film to Have Cameo Appearances from Bowser, Dr. Eggman, and Street Fighter's Zangief!?

Disney has plenty of experience of making movies based on video games or having video games as a plot point, with the Tron series and the recent movie adaption of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time coming to mind. Well now they have an all-new video game movie, and it looks like it will feature the appearances of some of video game's biggest villains. This movie is called Wreck-It Ralph, and its a story about an old arcade-game villain (who to me seems to share many attributes with Donkey Kong) who escapes his game cabinet to go have fun in other games, all while proving he can be a hero. While this would get plenty of people into the theaters in its own right, Disney had to leak that certain famous video game villains will make at least a cameo appearance. Multiple sources have revealed an image of a Disney employee working on the film somehow, which features a screencap of the protagonist, Wreck-It Ralph, talking to Bowser, Dr. Eggman, and Zangief (from the Street Fighter series, if you didn't know) in a support-group setting. And in a closer look, the other guy on the screen looks like Dr. Wily from Mega Man (whose appearance has also been confirmed). Other famous video game antagonists that are set for an appearance are Kano from the Mortal Kombat series, and one (or more) of the ghosts from Pac-Man.

"Hi. My name is Ralph, and I'm a vdeo game villain." "Hi, Ralph."

I was already interested in Wreck-It Ralph before this news, and now this will be one of my top late-year movies come November (that and The Hobbit). Anyways, I hope to have a special opinion post tomorrow, focusing on the 3DS. Look forward to it (because I sure do)!

eShop News: SMB goes Public, MGS demo is Out. Oh, and Wii now has Hulu Plus

Last couple days were busy, so I apologize for the lack of updates. But I'll be coming up with a good opinion post this Saturday, so look forward to it. Anycase, here's the news.

As you probably know, Nintendo likes updating their internet stores on Thursdays. Well today brings some big announcements for all of them. First is the next 3DS demo, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D is out. The full game will be coming out on the 21st, and has Circle Pad Pro support. Also on the eShop is the first public release of an Ambassador NES game, Super Mario Bros. Ambassadors check for an update to that game, as from what Nintendo said before, it will now support multiplayer (though for SMB, it doesn't add all that much) and Restore Points.

The real question is will you be able to eat Yoshi meat in Snake Eater 3D?

Also announced today is that the Wii finally has Hulu Plus support. Hulu Plus allows users to have access to internet television Hulu's full library on devices like set-top boxes, smartphones, tablets, and of course video game consoles. New Hulu Plus members who sign up on Wii will get a two-week free trial for the first month. Also announced was future Hulu Plus support for the 3DS.

This is some great news. The demo for Resident Evil: Revelations, along with the "Prototype Version" of it on The Mercenaries 3D really sold me on the full game, which I now am enjoying a ton (even though I still haven't gotten a Circle Pad Pro yet). Metal Gear's demo will probably make me buy it earlier than I was going to, which isn't too much of a bad thing.

Japanese McDonald's to Distribute 3DS DLC

Since there isn't too much in news today, I got a little quickie. Kotaku has intepreted a report from the Japanese gaming giant Famitsu that the Japanese branch of McDonald's will start distributing digital content for the 3DS and DS at its resturaunts. The 3DS will get exclusive DLC for the game Slime Mori Mori Dragon Quest 3 (the sequel to the DS game that was released in the States as Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime), and both DS and 3DS users will get the exclusive game McDonald's Slime Ship Battle DX. The DLC for Slime Mori Mori Dragon Quest 3 will be released over 4 weeks in 4 parts, and completing the Slime Ship Battle game will net the player a reusable (1-day) coupon for burgers and drinks.

Certainly this is better than your average Happy Meal

I don't know if Japan's McDonald's have Nintendo Zone support (but they probably do like the ones in the United States), but his sort of thing is pretty cool. Since Dragon Quest is pretty big in Japan, maybe we will see some Pokémon DLC down the line at our McDonald's or some other Nintendo Zone location.

Nintendo Buys Out Mobiclip

The video codec company Mobiclip has become a subsidiary of Nintendo, as announced on the company's website today. The company was previously known as Actimagine, and their video compression software has used in the making of games for the Game Boy Advance, DS, and 3DS handhelds, not to mention their software is on several PC and mobile operating systems.

Other than Nintendo, notable Mobiclip clientele includes Sony and Fisher-Price

 What's this mean for Nintendo? Well, it could mean they will soon have exclusive rights to Mobiclip's video compression software (which had been popular for its quality and efficiency), or they will now get some of their profits. Though knowing Nintendo, it means they have something video-related up their sleeve. Mobiclip's website has noted that the company is looking for a "console software engineer", so something's definitely up. It's great to see a new addition to Nintendo, and I can't wait to see what will come of it!

Wii U and NFC: What I Think Nintendo Will and Probably Should do With It

One of the most recent developments about Nintendo's next home console, the Wii U, is that its controversial tablet-like controller has support for a technology called NFC, or Near Field Communication. Here I am going to write about what I think Nintendo will do, and maybe some stuff they should do to use the technology to its fullest. But what is NFC, and how can it be used in a video game console?

Freakin' NFC, how does it work?

The Wikipedia article for NFC states that it was designed for use in smartphones, and that it requires touching or "close proximity, usually no more than a few centimeters" for it to work. Its standards are based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, which as been used in credit/debit cards for quick transactions, such as Master Card's PayPass (which will itself soon have NFC support for smartphones). The difference is RFID is only one-way communication, while NFC chips can be rewritten by the user, even though they aren't powered.

These are some NFC chips manufactured by Samsung

How can this be used in video games? The answer to that is it already has. One of last Christmas' most popular games used it. The game was Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure. Well, it actually used RFID chips in the figures, but you get the idea. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, Skylanders is based around the concept that you can play this action platformer with a vast array of characters to choose from, 37 to be exact, but in order to play as a certain character, you must have the action figure that represents said character. Needless to say, it was bigger hit with kids than its publisher Activision could have ever expected, with figure shortages aplenty. This comes to my first prediction.

Skylanders became a huge suprise hit last Christmas

Activision has already announced a sequel to Skylanders, which has been tentatively titled as Skylanders Giants. All of the figures released for the original are said to be fully compatible with Giants. What's this mean for the Wii U? Well, since the new Skylanders will be on all major consoles, and the Wii U is coming out sometime this year (at least after E3), I think it'll have a version of it. But I think it will be unique. Unique in the fact that the Wii U controller could be used in place of the "Portal of Power" device used by all current versions of Skylanders. I can see advertisements now. "The controller is your Portal of Power!" The Wii U version of Skylanders Giants would be priced lower than the competing versions, thus giving the Wii U a great edge for the Christmas Season. All of this brought to you by NFC (and its basis in RFID).

No need for some bulky device to play as Spyro on the Wii U!

What else is possible? Well, I think a big reason Nintendo implemented NFC was for their big kid-friendly franchise, Pokémon. There are plenty of ways for Nintendo to use NFC with Pokémon. One that many has suggested is basically making an action figure-based game like Skylanders. In order to catch them all, you gotta buy them all. It'd probably be more of an RPG like Pokémon Colosseum than an action platformer. But if you think that would be too expensive/too much of a copy of Skylanders, then there is another option. It's called the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Nintendo could put NFC chips into Pokémon cards and kids could use them to get bonuses/new characters in this theoretical Wii U game.

Gotta scan them all!

What other ways could Nintendo implement NFC? Well, Satoru Iwata has already blatanly mentioned micropayments. Gone will be the days when you have to type in that Points Card to get the latest downloadable (or in the case of the new Nintendo Network, full retail) games. All you have to do is put that card close to the controller, and you're good to go. And another big idea that has been suggested is having cards/figures that give you the right to download a game or DLC. It'd be perfect for those who don't like making online purchases, especially parents who wouldn't let their kids use their credit card. Another mentioned usage is having your credit card data saved on a NFC-enabled smartphone, and you can use that for purchases. It'd be safer than having Nintendo keep your credit card number, and it would still be quick and easy.

The increasing number of smartphones with NFC support can only help Nintendo

There's plenty of ways Nintendo could use NFC technology in the Wii U, and many more possibilities I haven't mentioned. If you can think of something unique that Nintendo or third parties can do with this, feel free to comment about it below. Since I finally found a non-frustrating way to make posts on my tablet, you can expect more frequent posts. I'm thinking of having this kind of opinion post every weekend, so look forward to it!

Maximum Nintendo Now on Facebook and Twitter! (You can email me, too!)

Since I was sick today (probably should've mentioned that in my last post), I decided to setup both Facebook and Twitter accounts for Maximum Nintendo. When I post something on this here blog, I'll try to remember to post it on both sites. Also you can now email feedback to maximumnintendo@gmail.com.

Also I made this logo. I may or may not use it here, but I am using a shortened version for the Twitter and Facebook Accounts.

Also a little side note, I had to parse the Facebook Page's title as one word, "MaximumNintendo" because Facebook was picky.

Gamestop Lowers 3DS Price in Time for PlayStation Vita

Yesterday was pretty hecktic, so I wasn't able to update. But anycase, the US game retailer GameStop has lowered the price of the 3DS from $169.99 to $149.99 in an "Limited Time Only" sale, which will reportably last for 6 days (starting yesterday, Feb. 8).

This kinda looks like some dysfunctional family. Black and Blue are the responsible older siblings, Red is the brother who never went to college or gotten a job, and Pink is the preppy younger sister who's still in high school.

GameStop has said that this sale was "initiated" by Nintendo itself. This sale comes two weeks before the 3DS's big competitor the PlayStation Vita hits store shelves. The Vita's base model (Wifi-Only, no GPS) will cost $249.99, and its 3G-enabled brother will be $299.99, not to mention the pricy memory cards it requires ($20 for 4GB, while you can get a 32GB SD Card for your 3DS for only 6 bucks more at some places). Another theory that has been brought up is that the GameStop-exclusive Circle Pad Pro (with a $20 pricetag) release prompted Nintendo to lower the 3DS price by $20 to make the peripheral more appealing.

Whatever the reason may be, if you've been really considering purchasing a 3DS, now's a good time to get in on the action. 

Kid Icarus: Uprising Gets Another Bonus: AR Cards!

The website Siliconera has revealed that Kid Icarus: Uprising will be bundled with 6 augmented reality cards that were hinted at its trailer from last year's E3. You can place two of these cards next to each other and watch through the 3DS camera as the characters come alive and battle.

They'll be chosen at random, though

 This will be a fun distraction for sure. But everybody getting a different set of cards makes me think Nintendo will go all Pokémon Trading Card Game with it. It's certainly possible and probable that they won't, though. But knowing Nintendo, I think we'll be seeing Kid Icarus trading cards on store shelves.

Game Cover News: Resident Evil: Revelations Typo Will Be Fixed, Facebook to Decide on Xenoblade Chronicles' Reversible Cover

It's been a couple days, hasn't it? Well, I got some semi-minor tidbits for today.

First is that little typo on the cover Resident Evil: Revelations (or, as the typo suggests, Revelaitions) that I have been taking pot shots at are getting fixed. While the first shipment of the games will have the typo, a post at Capcom-Unity.com announced that if you get a cover with a typo, you can contact Capcom and they will send you a new one. Honestly, if I get a typo cover, I'm keeping it as a little keepsake (and will still get the new cover). Resident Evil: Revelations will be released in the States tomorrow (Feb. 7).

Nintendo has put the fate of Xenoblade Chronicles' reversible cover in the hands of its Facebook community. They have posted four possible pictures, and the one with the most "Likes" will be printed on the back of Xenoblade's normal cover. I kinda cheated and liked all four of them, but you can vote for them however you like. Xenoblade Chronicles comes out this April, and is only available at Gamestop/EB Games and Nintendo's online store.

Internet Feature-Related News: New Club Nintendo Rewards, Nintendo Zone getting Pokémon Episodes and Game Demos

Sorry for a lack of news the past couple of days, the combination of business with school and relative lack of Nintendo news meant I didn't update. Well here's some news.

There's some new rewards available at Club Nintendo, both in the form of its traditional knick-nacks and the now-monthly downloadable titles. For only 250 Coins, you can get a 3DS Card Case that can hold 18 3DS/DS cartridges, and has four reversible card covers that features Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and the 3DS itself.

Pretty cool way to carry your games, eh?

Nintendo also has announced the downloadable games available for purchase with coins this month, though there are only two this time: Art Acadamy: First Semester for DSiWare/eShop, and Mario Party 2 from the Nintendo 64 on Wii Virtual Console. Both are 150 Coins, so if you are interested in these games (because I'm not), go get them.

Today Nintendo announced that the 3DS service Nintendo Zone will get a section just for Pokémon, and will get game demos just like the eShop. The feature for the Pokémon section includes full episodes of the famous TV show based on the games. However, you'll only be able to watch episodes at a Nintendo Zone location (which includes, from what I can tell, most if not every McDonald's, Starbucks, and Best Buy in the United States).

You'll get to watch this on your 3DS when you make your morning Starbucks run!

The Nintendo Zone service is pretty cool, and I wasn't expecting my little town like mine to have many hotspots, but it has a full eight, and even more if you count the two towns that border it, which also includes my area's major mall. This news is good and solid, hopefully more like it comes tomorrow!