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Nintendo Monthly-Issue 1
Welcome to the first issue of Nintendo Monthly! The idea of this started many months ago when I wanted to create something enjoyable for everyone, with news, comics, and plenty of info on everyone's favorite company. I was afraid I would have to do it all by myself, but thankfully Wiiporter came around and said that he'd like to help, because it takes a load off me, and it's always great to have someone else as well. He also created one of my favorite sections of the magazine - The rivalry. Note that if you would like to be a writer or editor or anything else then feel free to add a comment in the discussion page or contact one of the writers of the magazine. Also, the Mario Monthly magazine will be merged to Nintendo monthly as of now. All righty then, let's get this started!
Guitar Hero III - Never heard of it? That's because nobody here owns a PlayStation. Guitar Hero is a (surprisingly) innovative game on the competitions beck and call no more. Yes, an innovative game coming to our innovative system, Wii. This is good, considering the popularity of the game on the (shudder) other systems. *Update!* Guitar Hero is confirmed. Yeah, that's a news-breaker. Also, It will be wireless on all systems except the one we don't care about (PS2).-Wiiporter
Pokémon Battrio - This unique arcade title was announced on the 11th of April, and as the name implies, it's a new Pokémon game. whether or not the game is coming to America is currently unknown, though if I had to guess, I wouldn't bet on it! Oh well, for more information on the title, go to the link above.
Super Paper Mario - Super Paper Mario was finally released after being delayed multiple times and merging from one console too another. Thankfully, the result is very satisfying to both critics and fans.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games - A huge surprise was the announcement of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games for both the Nintendo DS and Wii. The game will star, for the first time in the industries' history, Mario and Sonic among other famous characters in their series.
NiGHTS Wii - After years of this cult classic game seeming to have no return, SEGA surprised the industry be announcing a sequel to the Sega Saturn game. Something else about this game - It’s an exclusive to the Wii!
Every month, we'll dedicate a section of out magazine to Mario, the plumber that started it all. As aforementioned, go check out the full Mario monthly magazine which can be accessed a few lines up.
For recent news regarding Mario and pals, Super Paper Mario was finally released on the Wii console. And the result is a satisfying mixture of RPG and platforming mechanics, lying more heavily on platforming. Also, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games was also announced, giving fans of both series something to scream about. So far, SEGA has revealed that Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are among some of the playable characters, and that Shigeru Miyamoto will be supervising the game.
While exploring the massive world of Super Paper Mario, you may accidentally miss some of the many secrets or easter eggs scattered throughout the game. In this section, I’ll name some of my favorite ones.
First off, you’ll find most of these “Easter Eggs” in Francis’ fort. Being the nerd he is, you’ll find many references to video games around his large fortress. First off, you’ll find a collection of seven Yoshi kid dolls from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, each one being a different color. Also in his fort you’ll find posters of different characters from the series including Bow and a Puni. Also, if you search around, you’ll also find a plush doll of VIvian and Pennington, both from The Thousand-Year Door. And that's just scratching the surface, there are many other cameos in his castle as well.
In the first major boss fight in the game (with Fracktail), the robot dragon will, while going crazy, say “I AM ERROR”, an obvious reference to Zelda II’s infamous line. The same dragon will also blurt out “CTRL, ALT, DEL”, which on some computers is a button combination that allows you to force quit pages not responding... Brilliant!
When you first meet Mimi, she will turn into a fake Bowser and state: "Hey! Dimetntio! Have you been reading my diary? I mean... Umm... Never Mind.", which is a reference to Paper Mario, where Bowser had a diary.
A quick did you know before I go onto the next section - If you put Yoshi Topsy Turvy or WarioWare: Twisted! into the Game Boy Player, did you know that despite it being on the GameCube, you can still actually use it? I tested this out with Yoshi Topsy Turvy on a stage where you don’t have to press any buttons - The one where you’re a ball. I started the stage up and in about a minute I ended up winning! So yes - It does work! Anyway, moving on....
Yoshi is one of the more common choices amongst Mario Kart players. He's fast, and has great control over his cart. In Mario Kart DS, he, along with Dry Bones, are also the best snakers, a popular technique that masters of the game use.
By Bentendo
This is a monthly section regarding The Legend of Zelda series, including news, the games, characters and so on.
According to some rumors going around, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass will include both Wifi game play and will also feature voice chat. My opinion on this rumor is that it's true, seeing that it was translated from Famitsu magazine.
As any Zelda fan should know, the Triforce (shown above) is a holy relic created by three powerful goddesses. Each one represents a different essence, which includes (clockwise from top) the Triforce of power, courage, and wisdom.
By: Bentendo
Currently, I've really been getting into RPG video games, notably the Final Fantasy, Fire Emblem, and Golden Sun series among others. I was actually first introduced to RPG's with the release of Pokémon Blue on the Game Boy, though that was great, I'd say that Paper Mario really started the spark that got me more interested. When my brother got a Final Fantasy game, I decided to play it, and probably ended up playing 60 hours on it. My favorite RPG is Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - a brilliant tactical RPG that plays like chess. Unlike most people, I didn't buy the game because of FE characters appearing in Melee, rather I bought it because I enjoyed Final Fantasy Tactics Advance so much.
Now here's a problem - Out of every character in my army (in Path of Radiance), only one died. Now, what I didn't know is the character that died (boyd), is appearing in the next installment of the series, Goddess of Dawn for the Wii. Now my question is should I really play the first game over again just so the sequel will seem correct? I haven't made my decision yet, but I probably will have to....
Any way, this is a monthly section regarding all RPG's (other than Pokémon, which has it's own section below).
Quick reviews of some RPG's:
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - As aforementioned, Path of Radiance is one of my favorite RPG video games. I've always been a fan of tactical RPG's, and this one surpasses any in the genre, including the "oh it's so great" Advance Wars (which I oddly don't care to much about, despite it being made by the same people and it's in the same genre... go figure). Unlike most other RPG's, or games in general, once one of your characters die in battle, s/he's dead for ever, which, though may be challenging, is fair. If the main protagonist dies, then you'll get a game over screen. The game includes a great story, plenty of strategy, and some detailed CGI cut-scenes. I give Path of Radiance a 9.5/10
Final Fantasy III - This Nintendo DS remake of the only Final Fantasy game never to reach the states is actually pretty fun. Despite a major difficulty curve, and uninspired scenery and areas, the game is interesting and makes you come back for more. The music is probably some of the best I've heard last year on a handheld, with each new tune being better then the next (well, sometimes)There may not be many playable characters compared to some other Final Fantasy titles, but it more than makes up for it with the large amount of jobs or classes you can chose. Plus, with only four characters, you don't have to worry about always changing the characters to level them up, which IMO is a good thing. One of the worst parts of the game is the saving problem - You can only save on the world map, so if you're about to face a hard boss fight, you can't save right before. There aren't even save points in the dungeons either! Despite this, it's still a great game that a fan of the series will like. - 8.0 out of 10.
I really couldn't believe how sparse GameCube RPG's were. I did some research, and there only seemed to be a total of only about 50, with some of them, such as Animal Crossing and The Legend of Zelda games really not being an RPG. Most of those games were also Japan exclusives, which even lowers the game count even more. The Nintendo.com list shows only 32, with, as aforementioned, also includes the likes of Animal Crossing/Zelda/Harvest Moon, and others. Now, how about the Wii? Will the same result of the GC RPG's also happen to Nintendo's new console. So far, I'd say no. The Wii was just released, and so far a total of 18 RPG's have been announced, not including the Virtual Console or Animal Crossing/Harvest Moon games. Hopefully with the success of the Wii so far, we'll start seeing more RPG's.
Paper Mario 2 - A fun and exciting RPG that won't ever get you bored. While maybe not original compared to the first in the series, this is still a great game that's even improved from ‘’Paper Mario’’. - 9.5/10
Golden Sun - A game made by the great company Camelot. While the continuous random battles may seem tedious, the game is still fun. Great graphics and even better game play make this a game to get. - 8.5/10
RPG characters:
The character above is Luso, a young kid who is set to be the protagonist in the upcoming DS video game Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2. The character found the Gran Gimore, and ended up on Ivalice, which was the setting of the previous game in the series. Not much else is know about him, but I can't wait to find out his story!
All right, I'm betting you're asking your self what is "Nintendo Galaxy" going to be about. Well, I wanted to make a section for the Metroid and Star Fox series, though there just wasn't enough info to do a separate one for each of them. So I realized that in both series, you travel through space, or the galaxy! Hurrah! Anyway, lets get started.
Review: Star Fox Command
Ever since the game was announced, I had high hopes for this game. Once it was released, I rushed over to the store, and couldn't wait to engage in new dogfights and duke it out online. I started to play the tutorial, it seemed simple enough and was pretty fun. I got through the first chapter and enjoyed the strategy aspect of the game as well as the pinpoint accuracy using the DS's stylus. I went on to the next chapter expecting something else great, but realized that it was pretty much the exact same thing as last time. There was nothing interesting other than a few background changes and harder enemies, and for god's sake the mini boss is the same each and every time. You also don't have any allies helping you out while fighting, which used to be one of my favorite parts.
While I thought that the game not being on rails any more would be better, I was wrong. I loved the old Star Fox games for their arcade style feel, and the fact that tons of things were all over the screen making a fun and frantic game play experience. But with this new style, it just feels wrong, and the inclusion of time doesn't help either! Online multiplayer might be the best part of the game, though overall I quickly got bored of it and started to replay the better Wifi games such as Mario kart DS, Tetris DS, and Metroid Prime Hunters.
I thought that when they said they were going back to the series' roots it meant that it was going to similar to the likes of Star Fox 64 or the original in the series, but this it isn't, and sadly ended up being my least favorite Star Fox game in the series. I give Star Fox Command a 6.5/10.... sorry Fox...
Metroid suit of the month:
The Dark Suit:
The Dark Suit was an exclusive to Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. Since Samus' previous suit was very vulnerable to the atmosphere of the Dark Aither. While it doesn't completely get rid of the poison in the air, it does help by a ton.
As you (should) know, the new Pokémon Diamond and Pearl are here, and that means that you'll be able to catch up to 107 new Pokémon, not to forget the hundreds of other past generation Pokémon as well! According to IGN, the game is bigger than any other Pokémon game, and with the addition of the underground tunnels, it should take months to finish every mission and catch em' all.
Diamond and Pearl also marks the first Pokémon game to be able to connect over Wi-Fi using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service, which is totally free! While on wifi, you can fight others around the world, and more notably trade Pokémon with others you don't even know.
Some new Pokémon
As aforementioned, this game has a total of 107 brand new Pokémon. The following are some of the newbies and information on them.
Turtwig - Turtwig is one of three starter Pokémon in the game, and currently the one that seems to be the best in my opinion (isn't he just adorable!). They are grass type Pokémon that evolve into powerful Grotle and finally into Torterra.
Starly - A new and common bird Pokémon that is reminiscent of Pidgetto from the Generation I video games. Though weak, the bird will grow stronger once he evolves into Mukubird and then finally Mukuhawk.
Combee - A species that resembles honeybee larvae which are still stuck inside of their honeycombs. Later on in the game it will evolve into a powerful Bee queen.
Pachirisu - An electric-type one foot (height) squirrel that is common in Fuego Ironworks, Valley Windworks, and Route 205. Their electricity that they shoot out of their cheeks are discharged from it's tail. Sadly, the Pachirisu will not evolve as of the Generation IV video games.
Bonsly - Bonsly was one of the first Generation IV Pokémon every revealed. They are babies of the tree Pokémon Sudowoodo, and are much smaller. Because it's a baby, it's base stats aren't very high at all, and can easily be defeated.
Gible - A Pokémon that looks similar to a shark that can be found in the Lost Cave.
Who's That Pokémon?
A powerful blue dragon.
Can control the fourth dimension.
Diamond exclusive Pokémon:
Seel
Dewgong
Scyther
Murkrow
Scizor
Larvitar
Pupitar
Tryanitar
Poochyena
Aron
Lairon
Aggron
Kecleon
Cranidos
Honchkrow
Stunky
Skuntank
Dialga
The best Starter Pokémon. Recently, I made a poll asking users of Nintendo.com which generation had the best starter Pokémon. I can pretty much say that almost every one agreed on the answer, which was Generation 1 by FAR. Generation I received more votes than number two and three combined, and the question of whether or not the fourth generation starters would be better was brought up, which I would have to disagree on. Generation I is the only generation where I liked every starter Pokémon, where as in Generation IV, I only seem to like Turtwig and Piplup (sorry Chimchar).
Animal Crossing Times
By Bentendo
The Animal Crossing series an amazing - It actually makes cutting down trees, planting flowers, and doing chores fun. I'm pretty sure that only Nintendo can do that! I mean look at another classic (IMO) game - Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure!, a game that once you hear about it think that it's going to be a load of boring ideas, though they make it to where you're so addicted. Animal Crossing is almost cruel - it literally makes you play every single day, or else you, in a way, get punished. And for god sakes, even if you accidentally turn the power off Resetii will pop out of no where and start screaming at you!
However, I somehow keep getting more addicted to the series, more so than any game. All you want to do is make your town perfect and collect every item, but it can take years to actually do that!
anyway, each month new events happen in both games in the series (Animal Crossing and Animal Crossing: Wild World), and were here to cover both game's events and other juicy information!
We'll also just give fun and random facts about these two games, and if any news about Animal Crossing Wii imerges, then we'll be sure to report it.
Other than events, news, and facts about the game, we also have great Town Tunes, helpful guides, character info, and so much more!
Mouth of Truth
How to get the Mouth of Truth:
The Mouth of Truth is quite possibly one of my favorite items in Animal Crossing. With that said, I couldn't help but tell you how to get this talking stone in the game. There are two known ways to get this item, the hard way and the easy way. As expected, the easy way to get the item is through cheating, and the hard way could take months until you'll finally get it. So first, the hard way -
As you may or may not know, Gulliver the seagull will appear on your beach once every week at 6:00am-12:00pm. Every time you meet him, he'll give you a brand new and exclusive (sometimes) item. The bad part is that each time you'll meet up with him there's only a 1/34 chance that he'll give you the mouth of truth.
Now, for the easy way. As you should know, Tom Nook will allow you to type in three codes every day. Luckily, the Mouth of Truth has a code, which I'll post bellow-
A6YoE&yV4%
UpdPiHGa5Z6@w4TyqX
May events in Animal Crossing:
May 1-Spring Cleaning
Today you can tidy up your hose and order some new items. The greatest part of spring cleaning: you'll get a brand new item from Tortimer if you talk to him!
May 13-Mother's Day
Today Tortimer will give you an exclusive gift if you find him over by the well!
May events in Wild World:
May 5-Flea Market
Today, all of your neighbors are selling a few of their furniture items for very low prices. If you see an item you like, see if you can bribe the owner to sell it to you.
May 12-La Di Day
Today, everyone is happy and singing tunes. Every resident in your town comes up with a tune, and you can chose who has the best of them all. The winner's song will then become the town tune.
May 20-Fishing
Today, put your fishing skills to the test and catch a big whopper for a special prize!
Kirby
By: Bentendo
This section is dedicated to every one's favorite pink puffball Kirby and all of his games, new and old, as well as other news regarding the eight inch sphere that seems to have a bottomless stomach. His games are super fun, and the amount of copy abilities seem almost endless (well, not really, only about 30 in the main series). He's a favorite among Smash Bros. players, seeing as he can steal his opponents abilities, and use them against them.
Copy ability of the month
Fighter Kirby is an ability that can be obtained from the enemy Dessie. It gives Kirby more powerful punches and kicks, as well as plenty of combo attacks as well. In Squeak Squad, there are a total of 8 different attacks that Fighter Kirby can perform.
Wiiporter's Review-O-Rama
Quite Obviously By Wiiporter
Just a heads up: I Don't Have Enough Cash To Buy New Releases!! I will, however, review games of current interest.
Sonic & the Secret Rings - Sonic is a good guy, but I have my reasons to criticize him. For one thing, He is not to be near a story line: he will soil it with mediocrity. Another thing, if he has special features, tell him to put them back where he found them: do not let them bring it in the house! Finally, If he has a troublemaker friend (I'm looking at you, Shadow) have a long talk with him about guns: they aren't that entertaining. Now that I have that out of the way, Secret Rings is a perfect fit for our favorite hedgehogs Wii debut. I give it a...9/10.
Elite Beat Agents - I have one grievance involving this game...Material Girl. That has to be the worst song I have ever heard, with the exception of Anything by Good Charlotte. And they are both in there. Despite the overbarring urge to give a terrible review for such a reason, my addiction to "getting down" exceeds it. This is a wonderful game full of innovation, despite the preppy soundtrack. I give it a... HOLD IT!!! I just learned the Jackson Five's 'ABC' is on there too! that Drops it to: 9/10.
Wii Play - Oh god, don't shoot me- this game isn't that great. The Shooting Range game, Laser Hockey, and Tanks! are super, but most of that other swill- Pose Mii(Am I stoned, or am I popping bubbles by posing?), Find Mii(What the heck is an Odd Wii Out?!), Ping Pong(It took me hours to find out how to hit the darned ball)- Deserve Bad ratings. Thus, I will give a separate grade for each:
This article is for our writers to bounce off opinions
of a videogame-esque theme. Questions will be asked, answers to respond, tissue to be applied to nose.
Which is better: 2D or 3D Zelda?
Wiiporter: 2D, hands down. the new, spiffy 3D stuff... it's cool, as I'm sure Ben will agree, but it hardly compares to that of A Link to the Past!
Bentendo: The Wind Waker proved to me that the 3-D Zelda games were better. It allowed for more unique attacks, in-depth plots, plenty of sidequests, and a world unlike any other. I would have to agree that games such as a Link to the Past and The Minish Cap are purely great games, but they're nothing compared to the greats such as The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Ocarina of Time. Now, for Mario on the other hand, I'd probably go with 2-D gameplay.
Wiiporter - I'd agree, except I don't. The 2D games offer a simple environment while at the same time leave me in an endless maze of challenges, such as unearthing weapons not found in dungeons! Seriously, must we forget they joy of finding the ice rod in a seemingly barren cave?
NiGHTS 2 or Mario & Sonic at the Olympics?
Bentendo: NiGHTS 2 will probably overall be the greater game, seeing as SEGA will have to live up to the hype that this game's generating. Now Mario & Sonic on the other hand will at best be an average game, and will no matter what sell millions of copies seeing how giddy fans will get seeing two of gaming's biggest characters on the cover.
Wiiporter - You make a Valid Point, Ben, but considering the quality of the Wii's sports games so far, I'd probably check Sonic & Mario 1st. Don't kill me, I've never played NiGHTS or even touched the Saturn before. Send Hate mail to: wiiporter@hotmail.com.
Bentendo: - Well, Wii Sports featured plenty of great sports game that would work great with the Wii remote, while Olympic games such as swimming and running just doesn't sound that great (I really don't know what motions I'll have to do with swimming....). They also can't add any of the sports that were included in Wii Sports seeing as that would obviously be coping. Of course, we'll just have to wait and see, but so far NiGHTS seems to be the overall victor as of now.
Wiiporter - Hmmm... swimming motions? Any way, even if your right, The NiGHTS series was never anything more than a cult hit, and it's probably not going to get much of a welcome as Sonic & Mario Mashing Up(The real title of the game).
Bentendo - Usually cult hit video games are great and innovative. Look at Chibi-Robo, Katamari Damacy, Phoenix Wright, and Ico. NiGHTS didn't get so popular for being a crappy game, it was popular because it was pure fun. And like you said: Swimming motions! That just doesn't seem fun... NiGHTS for the win! Also, why do we need to see Mario and Sonic competing, we know who would win any ways (Mario!) :) Hehe.....
Wiiporter - That reminds me...
Who will win: Sonic or Mario in the Olympic Games?
Wiiporter - Sonic has super speed. Mario has a fetish for pasta. who's gonna win again?
Bentendo - Mario is about pure power!
Wiiporter - Mario doesn't have super speed. End of story.**
Goddjob - Sonic may have super speed, but Mario will be able to win the swimming competition (because of Sonic's fear of water) and the high jump.
Next Month
If my (being Bentendo) top 100 games of all time feature isn't completed in time for this issue, then you should expect to see it next month. Also, May is here, and now that E3 has been drastically changed (or it's not gonna happen- sorry, it's more than likely- Wiiporter), theres no telling what will come of this! Let's hope it's for the better and not the worse. Anyway, if there truly is a bunch of news, then Codenamerevolution.com (the owner of Nintendopedia.com) is sure to cover it, as well as everyone else (IGN, Gonintendo, Gamespot).
Also, I'm going to write a review on Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (well... just Diamond, since that's the version I'm getting) if I'm able to complete it in time (which I probably will be able to). Saddly, I'll have to lower the grade by one since I'm not getting a free Dialga stylus, which they ran out of apparently (grr... I resereved it for no reason). And who knows, if I'm able to complete the game before the end of April, then I may have just enough time to write it before the next issue! Hurrah!
