Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Ouendan!
It’s Tuesday, so it’s time for an update.
I just installed my frontal braces, basically completing installation of my braces and starting the actual treatment. All I can say is, braces make me want to kill myself. I have newfound respect for people who have undergone treatment. I was correct in my hypothesis about the dentist evading my queries on whether braces were going to be painful – he merely replied, ‘well, millions of people around the world have done it!’ Which I thought was an absolutely absurd response since it didn’t actually answer my question at all. And turns out I was right. Just because millions of people have gone through it doesn’t make it alright – it freaking hurts as hell, and I am totally intolerant to physical pain. It makes me want to weep uncontrollably every time I try to bite and it sends waves of pain through my gums. It’s like having a persistent toothache on every single tooth in your mouth. I might just go insane after awhile. Back to the diet of soups and liquids that I do so adore.
I figure I’ll talk a little on my latest toy – my Nintendo dual-screen portable. I hooked up with ZH sometime last week to get some testing down, and to gleam from him some of his invaluable knowledge and insight on all things portable. I don’t know what to make of the DS, and I mean that in only good ways. I’ve always been part of the Playstation Portable camp – and have always mocked the DS because of what I perceived to be a gimmicky touchscreen interface that couldn’t possibly work out because of it’s fundamentally archaic technology under the hood. Being wrong couldn’t possibly do justice to how wrong I really was. The DS is a platform of innovation in every way that Nintendo boasted – and while that has never been in question, the surprising thing is that the innovation is actually put to good use, good, relevant use that has an impact on modern day portable gaming as we know it. Many games released on it so far have been able to put the touchscreen technology to good use, and more importantly, have incorporated it and made it fundamental to the gameplay, thereby removing the touchscreen status as a sideline gimmick. This is the start of the gaming revolution that Nintendo has so promised – regarding their next generation console of the same namesake, I will no longer view it with skepticism as I once did, and instead, I am eagerly awaiting the brilliant new ideas they have so promised.
I figure that I might as well talk about some of the games I’ve been playing lately, on the DS, and how the technology has so impacted my conventional ideas of how gaming should be.
Meteos is a puzzle game that traces it’s roots back to Tetris. It is reminiscient of Lumines. Of course, that’s true for almost any block based puzzle game in existence today. In Meteos, you don’t actually control the placement of the falling blocks – they fall naturally on by one, and they accelerate as time goes by. The objective of the player is to use the stylus to switch adjacent blocks one by one, in order to form three-in-a-row formations, in order to launch the three pieces, and everything above it, into space, meaning, up off the screen. The idea is to set up huge blocks of propulsion to launch the heavy loads sitting above it into space, but before the load becomes far too heavy and you lack the propulsion from a mere set of three blocks to achieve this. When you get flooded with pieces, you lose the round. The idea is to set up huge blocks of propulsion, chain them together, and blast them out of the stratosphere. The agility and dexterity needed for this game ensure that it is impossible to play without the swift precision of a stylus and a touchscreen. Factors such as different types of gravity and propulsion on different planets and types of blocks keep things interesting all the time.
Mario 64 DS is a remake of the Nintendo 64, 3-D classic that was so loved by Mario fanatics and platforming-addicts out there. The processor behind the DS is well utilized for this one, being able to render actual 3-D environments with a decent draw distance and clip, with good graphics and smooth loads. The innovation, however, is once again the touchscreen. In this game, the control scheme allows players to use the touchscreen as an analog control – basically a flat slate that detects how fast you’re sliding your fingers over it, and translating that into your character movement. Using the conventional D-Pad makes this game feel clunky and uninspired, but once you start to use the analog screen, everything falls into place like magic. You control your character using only your left thumb and right hand, and it feels natural within minutes. Soon you’re running, crawling, walking, sprinting, somersaulting, backflipping, long-jumping to your hearts’ content, without your thumb having a friction burn from trying to use quad-directional D-pad.
Kirby Canvas Curse is perhaps the DS’ innovation mascot. This platformer, featuring the relatively unknown Kirby, manages to make a name for itself with it’s unique style of 2-d platforming: literally, the entire game is played using the stylus. Not even a single button. Tap Kirby, he dashes forwards; tap his enemies to stun them, and dash forwards to steamroll them. Need to turn backwards? A stroke of the stylus draws a rainbow wall, and Kirby will run into it and turn backwards. When a hail of projectiles threaten to riddle Kirby with lots of new body orifices, use the stylus to draw a rainbow shield around him. And what’s a platformer without platforms? Draw bridges to connect platforms in any way you can imagine. Draw a steep slope to make Kirby run down faster, but draw it too steep and gravity will pull him down before he can get up. Got a shaky hand? That won’t do you any good, because the game’s ultra sensitive detectors will follow your hand and produce an uneven, bumpy road for Kirby to run over. Draw loop-de-loops, little momentum slides, full body shields – this game is limited only by your imagination.
Band Brothers is a little known Jap rhythm game, but it’s innovation isn’t the touchscreen. Like Beatmania, it uses every button on the DS, including the triggers and screen, and requires the player to follow the beat ‘instructions’ to play out a piece. Pieces range from famous Japanese pop songs to game theme favourites, and even the occasional English piece. The innovation comes in the wireless feature – it utilizes the DS’ wireless capabilities as an integral part of it’s gameplay. The game allows about a half dozen players to link up via wireless wave connections – and the connection is just about lagless. Each player chooses a specific instrument, and the leader picks a song to jam, and in seconds, every player is busy tapping keys to play his specific instrument within the ‘band’. And what’s really hilarious is that all the instruments are broadcast on every DS set, which means that you can hear every miskey, mispitch or wrongnote your friend is playing, in real time, and vice versa. You’ll have one hell of a good time sitting around and laughing at each other for hours to come.
Osu! Tatake! Ouendan! is a particularly odd Japanese rhythm game which uses the stylus completely as part of it’s gaming interface. It’s a rhythm game on the same vein as Parappa the Rapper, or even Space Channel Five. What’s interesting is that the music being replicated here is almost of the same quality as mp3 formats, and for a portable, is truly outstanding. It’s fast, frantic, and psychedelic – the colours and lights will keep your blood pumping all the way. It brings with it all the usual Anime conventions – the flamboyant and ridiculous character, the intelligent humour, and the occasional oddities that are part and parcel of a typical anime – the stream of flowing tears, the explosive temperaments, the cosmic backgrounds, and the story about three male cheerleaders wearing tuxedos make for a really unforgettable gaming experience. It’s, of course, no surprise that this is one of the hottest games in Singapore at the moment, and is pretty much sold out everywhere for ages to come, despite the fact that it is a game that is completely in Japanese.
Nintendogs is the modern day Tamagotchi, a game about raising a puppy of your own. It is so cute and so alive that you might just want to curl up and die from the cuteness. Scratch it behind the ears on under the neck and he’ll love you for it, whimpering softly, barking excitedly at you. Toss a Frisbee or tennis ball across the room and he’ll run after it, chewing at it, pawing it, and returning it to you if you ask him for it. The DS’ microphone is put to the test here – name your pet, and call him, and soon he’ll learn his own name and respond to your calls. Teach him to sit, beg, roll over, shake hands, chase his tail, jump, and many, many more, by word of command. You’ll be yelling your DS for months to come, trust me on that. Pick up a bubble blower toy and blow into the microphone to release a trail of glistening, prismatic bubbles that your puppy will chase and jump at. Take him out for walks by holding on to leash, bathe him, scrub him with your stylus, pat his head, offer him goodies, meet up with other dogs, join obedience competitions or Frisbee competitions. With about twenty real breeds of puppies to choose from, life-like rendering, and a level of interaction unparalled in any game, this one’s an instant classic. My father actually walked into my room the night I bought this game and asked me who the heck I was yelling at. You know that that’s a good thing.
Paranoia out.
I just installed my frontal braces, basically completing installation of my braces and starting the actual treatment. All I can say is, braces make me want to kill myself. I have newfound respect for people who have undergone treatment. I was correct in my hypothesis about the dentist evading my queries on whether braces were going to be painful – he merely replied, ‘well, millions of people around the world have done it!’ Which I thought was an absolutely absurd response since it didn’t actually answer my question at all. And turns out I was right. Just because millions of people have gone through it doesn’t make it alright – it freaking hurts as hell, and I am totally intolerant to physical pain. It makes me want to weep uncontrollably every time I try to bite and it sends waves of pain through my gums. It’s like having a persistent toothache on every single tooth in your mouth. I might just go insane after awhile. Back to the diet of soups and liquids that I do so adore.
I figure I’ll talk a little on my latest toy – my Nintendo dual-screen portable. I hooked up with ZH sometime last week to get some testing down, and to gleam from him some of his invaluable knowledge and insight on all things portable. I don’t know what to make of the DS, and I mean that in only good ways. I’ve always been part of the Playstation Portable camp – and have always mocked the DS because of what I perceived to be a gimmicky touchscreen interface that couldn’t possibly work out because of it’s fundamentally archaic technology under the hood. Being wrong couldn’t possibly do justice to how wrong I really was. The DS is a platform of innovation in every way that Nintendo boasted – and while that has never been in question, the surprising thing is that the innovation is actually put to good use, good, relevant use that has an impact on modern day portable gaming as we know it. Many games released on it so far have been able to put the touchscreen technology to good use, and more importantly, have incorporated it and made it fundamental to the gameplay, thereby removing the touchscreen status as a sideline gimmick. This is the start of the gaming revolution that Nintendo has so promised – regarding their next generation console of the same namesake, I will no longer view it with skepticism as I once did, and instead, I am eagerly awaiting the brilliant new ideas they have so promised.
I figure that I might as well talk about some of the games I’ve been playing lately, on the DS, and how the technology has so impacted my conventional ideas of how gaming should be.
Meteos is a puzzle game that traces it’s roots back to Tetris. It is reminiscient of Lumines. Of course, that’s true for almost any block based puzzle game in existence today. In Meteos, you don’t actually control the placement of the falling blocks – they fall naturally on by one, and they accelerate as time goes by. The objective of the player is to use the stylus to switch adjacent blocks one by one, in order to form three-in-a-row formations, in order to launch the three pieces, and everything above it, into space, meaning, up off the screen. The idea is to set up huge blocks of propulsion to launch the heavy loads sitting above it into space, but before the load becomes far too heavy and you lack the propulsion from a mere set of three blocks to achieve this. When you get flooded with pieces, you lose the round. The idea is to set up huge blocks of propulsion, chain them together, and blast them out of the stratosphere. The agility and dexterity needed for this game ensure that it is impossible to play without the swift precision of a stylus and a touchscreen. Factors such as different types of gravity and propulsion on different planets and types of blocks keep things interesting all the time.
Mario 64 DS is a remake of the Nintendo 64, 3-D classic that was so loved by Mario fanatics and platforming-addicts out there. The processor behind the DS is well utilized for this one, being able to render actual 3-D environments with a decent draw distance and clip, with good graphics and smooth loads. The innovation, however, is once again the touchscreen. In this game, the control scheme allows players to use the touchscreen as an analog control – basically a flat slate that detects how fast you’re sliding your fingers over it, and translating that into your character movement. Using the conventional D-Pad makes this game feel clunky and uninspired, but once you start to use the analog screen, everything falls into place like magic. You control your character using only your left thumb and right hand, and it feels natural within minutes. Soon you’re running, crawling, walking, sprinting, somersaulting, backflipping, long-jumping to your hearts’ content, without your thumb having a friction burn from trying to use quad-directional D-pad.
Kirby Canvas Curse is perhaps the DS’ innovation mascot. This platformer, featuring the relatively unknown Kirby, manages to make a name for itself with it’s unique style of 2-d platforming: literally, the entire game is played using the stylus. Not even a single button. Tap Kirby, he dashes forwards; tap his enemies to stun them, and dash forwards to steamroll them. Need to turn backwards? A stroke of the stylus draws a rainbow wall, and Kirby will run into it and turn backwards. When a hail of projectiles threaten to riddle Kirby with lots of new body orifices, use the stylus to draw a rainbow shield around him. And what’s a platformer without platforms? Draw bridges to connect platforms in any way you can imagine. Draw a steep slope to make Kirby run down faster, but draw it too steep and gravity will pull him down before he can get up. Got a shaky hand? That won’t do you any good, because the game’s ultra sensitive detectors will follow your hand and produce an uneven, bumpy road for Kirby to run over. Draw loop-de-loops, little momentum slides, full body shields – this game is limited only by your imagination.
Band Brothers is a little known Jap rhythm game, but it’s innovation isn’t the touchscreen. Like Beatmania, it uses every button on the DS, including the triggers and screen, and requires the player to follow the beat ‘instructions’ to play out a piece. Pieces range from famous Japanese pop songs to game theme favourites, and even the occasional English piece. The innovation comes in the wireless feature – it utilizes the DS’ wireless capabilities as an integral part of it’s gameplay. The game allows about a half dozen players to link up via wireless wave connections – and the connection is just about lagless. Each player chooses a specific instrument, and the leader picks a song to jam, and in seconds, every player is busy tapping keys to play his specific instrument within the ‘band’. And what’s really hilarious is that all the instruments are broadcast on every DS set, which means that you can hear every miskey, mispitch or wrongnote your friend is playing, in real time, and vice versa. You’ll have one hell of a good time sitting around and laughing at each other for hours to come.
Osu! Tatake! Ouendan! is a particularly odd Japanese rhythm game which uses the stylus completely as part of it’s gaming interface. It’s a rhythm game on the same vein as Parappa the Rapper, or even Space Channel Five. What’s interesting is that the music being replicated here is almost of the same quality as mp3 formats, and for a portable, is truly outstanding. It’s fast, frantic, and psychedelic – the colours and lights will keep your blood pumping all the way. It brings with it all the usual Anime conventions – the flamboyant and ridiculous character, the intelligent humour, and the occasional oddities that are part and parcel of a typical anime – the stream of flowing tears, the explosive temperaments, the cosmic backgrounds, and the story about three male cheerleaders wearing tuxedos make for a really unforgettable gaming experience. It’s, of course, no surprise that this is one of the hottest games in Singapore at the moment, and is pretty much sold out everywhere for ages to come, despite the fact that it is a game that is completely in Japanese.
Nintendogs is the modern day Tamagotchi, a game about raising a puppy of your own. It is so cute and so alive that you might just want to curl up and die from the cuteness. Scratch it behind the ears on under the neck and he’ll love you for it, whimpering softly, barking excitedly at you. Toss a Frisbee or tennis ball across the room and he’ll run after it, chewing at it, pawing it, and returning it to you if you ask him for it. The DS’ microphone is put to the test here – name your pet, and call him, and soon he’ll learn his own name and respond to your calls. Teach him to sit, beg, roll over, shake hands, chase his tail, jump, and many, many more, by word of command. You’ll be yelling your DS for months to come, trust me on that. Pick up a bubble blower toy and blow into the microphone to release a trail of glistening, prismatic bubbles that your puppy will chase and jump at. Take him out for walks by holding on to leash, bathe him, scrub him with your stylus, pat his head, offer him goodies, meet up with other dogs, join obedience competitions or Frisbee competitions. With about twenty real breeds of puppies to choose from, life-like rendering, and a level of interaction unparalled in any game, this one’s an instant classic. My father actually walked into my room the night I bought this game and asked me who the heck I was yelling at. You know that that’s a good thing.
Paranoia out.
# posted by Paranoia Incarnate @ 7:27 AM 
