NintendoDS Game News, Previews, and Reviews from 1UP

Why Zelda Still Rules the Action RPG

Jeremy Parish — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:01:00 PDT

Feature

Why Zelda Still Rules the Action RPG

The Legend of Zelda games may not be perfect, but they still define the genre.

By: Jeremy Parish May 8, 2012

1UP, we confess, has not been the kindest friend to the Legend of Zelda series of late. In fact, one might even assume that we have some sort of dark agenda against the games. That we're out to perform a cruel hit job. To poison the shape of public discourse about Nintendo's work and undermine the very foundations of the franchise by eroding the world's affection for and confidence in Zelda!

But let's not be silly. We've had some critical words for Zelda over the past few months, it's true, but those criticisms come from precisely the opposite place of whatever grim land of hatred Zelda's more ardent defenders may have concocted in their minds. We tend to put Zelda under harsh scrutiny not because we want to trash it but rather because we love it. Bob Mackey won't shut up about how Majora's Mask is probably the greatest game ever to spring from human minds, and I can bore you with hours of nonstop reminiscence about my experiences with the original NES game. We love Zelda, and we want it to be wonderful. Sometimes it falls short of our expectations; and sometimes in the process of starting up a conversation about these things, you have to play the role of devil's advocate, and then people misinterpret your opinion as being a lot more negative than it really is.

What Makes a Game Worth Buying at Launch?

Chris Pereira — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:43:00 PDT

Gaming can be an expensive hobby, particularly if you're keen on picking up games as they are released. With your typical console game going for $60 at launch and there being no shortage of quality titles to play, those costs can quickly add up, making it difficult to keep up with the latest releases. But there are more factors than merely price which can make gamers hesitant to buy games when they first come out including a perceived lack of value, eventual complete/Game of the Year edition releases, and patches which make games into better experiences for those who opt against rushing out to a midnight launch.

1UP readers on Facebook and our boards responding to a question about purchasing games at launch offered up a wide variety of reasons for why they are not keen on always being early adopters. While there were those who do still buy games as soon as they are made available, a high percentage of answers indicated there are only a limited numbers of exceptions where they are willing to do so.

OP-ED: Things Could Be Worse for THQ

Chris Pereira — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:41:00 PDT

THQ is not in the greatest position it's ever found itself, what with it facing a potential NASDAQ delisting and its lowest stock prices since the mid-90s. Earlier this year there were rumors the publisher had canceled its entire slate of 2014 games, including its MMO Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online. This was quickly denied, although the company has laid off a large number of employees since then in an attempt to restructure its business.

Part of that restructuring includes changing Dark Millennium Online from an MMO into a more standard style of game. As described in the press release late last month, it will now be developed as an "immersive single player and online multiplayer experience with robust digital content, and engaging community features." That sounds nice and all, but the idea of converting your typical World of Warcraft-style MMO into a game that can be enjoyed by a single player is a tall order. According to the company's executive vice president of core games, Danny Bilson, it won't be a difficult conversion due to the innovations developer Vigil Games (which lost 79 full-time employees last month) had come up with.

Gamers Reflect on What They'll Miss Most About the Old Days

Chris Pereira — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 11:00:00 PDT

Gaming is rapidly changing. Whether we're talking about things becoming more digital or new business models or whatever else, the industry already looks a great deal different than it did 10 or 20 years ago and that's only going to continue in the coming decades.

As with anything in entertainment that changes, people are going to yearn for the way things used to be (while also worrying about what the future will bring). For me, one of the things I miss most is the sort of manuals games used to come with. What I looked forward to most when first buying a new game, regardless of what it was, was opening the box up and flipping through the manual before actually trying the game out. And I'm not just talking about spending time devouring the pages of a manual (or whatever other paperwork a PC game would come with -- keyboard shortcut cards, tech trees, etc. -- as it installs); console and handheld game manuals had to be read cover to cover before the game went into the system. This wasn't a matter of preparing for games with no tutorials, as I treated those with in-game instructions no differently. I specifically remember reading the entire manual for Mario Party 2 -- Mario Party 2 -- before I would even stick the cart in my Nintendo 64.

OP-ED: EA Being Named America's Worst Company is Crazy

Chris Pereira — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:25:00 PDT

Electronic Arts is the winner (loser?) of The Consumerist's annual Worst Company in America tournament this year. Following a round of nominations and weeks of head-to-head, March Madness-style voting, the Redwood City, California-based videogame publisher was named the top vote-getter in the finals today in which it was squaring off against Bank of America.

Before going any further it's important to note this is an Internet poll, and as such can't be taken as an actual indication of what the population believes is the worst company around. Yet even with that caveat in mind, it's hard to fathom that a company responsible for making games could be loathed so vociferously.

New Chrono Trigger Fan Remake May Not Be Safe in the Shadows

Chris Pereira — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:05:00 PDT

Chrono Trigger is one of the most beloved RPGs of all time, and with good reason. It's an excellent game, and despite Square Enix releasing the game on a fair number of platforms over the years, fans have no less of an appetite for remakes and re-releases. A new HD remake of the game is now allegedly in the works and is hoping to learn from the mistakes of its predecessors.

Fans have attempted to release remakes in the past only to see what Square Enix's legal team is paid to do. Chrono Resurrection was an enhanced remake of the original game which received a great deal of attention in 2004. A public reveal resulted in several months of heavy traffic from Square Enix IP addresses, which in turn led to a cease and desist being issued to the team behind it. There was also Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes, a modded version of the game in development for more than four years. Just prior to its release in May 2009, Square Enix issues a cease and desist which ended development and blocked its release. Despite this, an alpha version lacking many key features and bug fixes was leaked at one point before the final release made it out. Chrono Resurrection, a remake initially slated for release on N64, also fell victim to a cease and desist.

You're Not Alone: Gamers Share Their Quirky Playing Habits

Chris Pereira — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:41:00 PDT

Everyone has their quirks, and when it comes to playing videogames things are no different, whether it be inconsequential things no one would ever notice or more drastic habits that radically alter your playing experience.

Writing about the way I tend to play open-ended games like Mass Effect recently prompted me to take a more critical look at the way I play games to see what else I do that might be considered... unusual. Wrong would not be the correct word to use, as I'm not sure that you can play a game the wrong way. You can certainly play them in a less than ideal way, as demonstrated by my propensity for playing Mass Effect or Heavy Rain in such a way that important decisions are rendered insignificant. Other eccentricities are less harmful, which is certainly good news for me as I seem to be in never-ending supply of them.

OP-ED: Netflix's Failures Highlight Steam's Strength

Ryan Winterhalter — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:00:00 PST

Netflix subscribers will find their movie selection gutted tomorrow, as the service removes thousands of movies and TV shows due to the end of its contract with the premium cable movie network Starz, which, while providing only around 5% of the overall Netflix library, just happens to offer some of the more popular content.

The same thing happens to online game providers, from Netflix-like streaming services like OnLive, to more traditional digital distribution platforms like Xbox Live or Steam. With all this uncertainty one might be tempted to simply stick with physical media, but despite what its ardent defenders will tell you, the physical media sold by normal retail channels comes with a finite lifespan. Regardless of whether you stream, download, or buy optical discs, no game you purchase will last forever, and any streaming service will face periodic mass delistings like Netflix as contracts change every few years. Meaning downloadable game services may offer you the best chance of playing your favorite game thirty years from now.

Can Americans Still Make SimCity?

Ryan Winterhalter — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:29:00 PST

EA may announce a new SimCity game at the Game Developers Conference next month according to rumors spurred by the publisher's announcement of a live-streamed event on March 6, where they promise a new Maxis game will be revealed. A related post on Facebook posed the question, "How can we change the world together? Find out when EA hosts the Game Changers event at GDC. What would you do if you had the power to change the world?"

When paired with descriptions of the game lifted from Maxis job ads looking for, "a highly talented and experienced team on an upcoming triple-A simulation style game," the evidence seems to point to a SimCity announcement of some kind coming from the event next week. That same job ad also states that the developer is looking for someone with, "knowledge of the Xbox 360 and PS3 rendering architectures and APIs," suggesting that the title will appear on consoles. No American developer has ever produced a console or otherwise "simplified" SimCity game that was actually playable or enjoyable.

Pokemon Black and White Version 2 Headed Westward More Quickly Than Usual

Chris Pereira — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:23:00 PST

Following the surprising news that the latest handheld Pok�mon RPGs will be a pair of DS titles known as Pok�mon Black Version 2 and Pok�mon White Version 2, Nintendo of America has already gone ahead and announced a loose release date for the two games: fall 2012.

In Japan the pair will be available in June, more than a year and a half after Black and White originally debuted there. Those of us in the rest of the world didn't get our hands on B&W until last March, almost six months after it was made available to Japanese gamers. The handheld Pok�mon RPGs have traditionally taken their time in making it to the U.S. -- Gold and Silver were out in November 1999 in Japan but didn't make it here until the following October, Diamond and Pearl had us waiting seven months, and Platinum was a six-month wait.