Yeah, they make small games.
Nintendo Downloads - November 2012
- Thread starter Brazil
- Start date
Yeah, they make small games.
Just finished the Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion demo, some impressions:
First, the bad stuff:
- There were quests, and they all involved getting something for someone - just not very interesting, overall.
- Too much jabbering, slowing down the pace of the game - which is already slow to begin with.
- Tutorials were annoying and inconsistent. The game would stop to explain some actions and have signs for others (which is a much better solution).
- Paint and thinner mechanic: interrupts the game, obligates you to have the stylus in your hand all the time and it's surprisingly hard to get perfect ratings.
- Slow movement. I know it's a throwback to Castle of Illusion, but daaaamn if it doesn't feel better when you that movement boost kicks in (the one that you get from painting something well enough): that should be the normal movement speed, damn it!
- The way the demo ends. I hate this stuff: it's not a soap opera, it's a game demo - let us fight the boss that is teased at the end!
The good stuff:
- It looked fantastic, and sounded good too.
- Controlled pretty well.
- Level design was okay, for very early levels, of course. I wish the demo had some later stages for us to try.
Overall, disappointing
Too much annoying stuff hurting it.
First, the bad stuff:
- There were quests, and they all involved getting something for someone - just not very interesting, overall.
- Too much jabbering, slowing down the pace of the game - which is already slow to begin with.
- Tutorials were annoying and inconsistent. The game would stop to explain some actions and have signs for others (which is a much better solution).
- Paint and thinner mechanic: interrupts the game, obligates you to have the stylus in your hand all the time and it's surprisingly hard to get perfect ratings.
- Slow movement. I know it's a throwback to Castle of Illusion, but daaaamn if it doesn't feel better when you that movement boost kicks in (the one that you get from painting something well enough): that should be the normal movement speed, damn it!
- The way the demo ends. I hate this stuff: it's not a soap opera, it's a game demo - let us fight the boss that is teased at the end!
The good stuff:
- It looked fantastic, and sounded good too.
- Controlled pretty well.
- Level design was okay, for very early levels, of course. I wish the demo had some later stages for us to try.
Overall, disappointing
Too much annoying stuff hurting it.Oh dear, well I guess I'll give it a go. A lot of people thought Mutant Mudds was slow, but it's one of my favourite games of the year.
Father_Brain
Banned
Played through the Power of Illusion demo. The demo isn't bad for what it is - pixel art is great, it controls well enough, all the Disney cameos are cool, and the RPG elements (although fetch-quest-heavy) are a nice addition. On the other hand, the platforming is fairly generic, Mickey moves too slowly, and the touchscreen trace/erase gimmick quickly becomes tedious. Can't say I'd pay anywhere near full price for it.
Seven Force
Banned
Just finished the Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion demo, some impressions:
First, the bad stuff:
- There were quests, and they all involved getting something for someone - just not very interesting, overall.
- Too much jabbering, slowing down the pace of the game - which is already slow to begin with.
- Tutorials were annoying and inconsistent. The game would stop to explain some actions and have signs for others (which is a much better solution).
- Paint and thinner mechanic: interrupts the game, obligates you to have the stylus in your hand all the time and it's surprisingly hard to get perfect ratings.
- Slow movement. I know it's a throwback to Castle of Illusion, but daaaamn if it doesn't feel better when you that movement boost kicks in (the one that you get from painting something well enough): that should be the normal movement speed, damn it!
- The way the demo ends. I hate this stuff: it's not a soap opera, it's a game demo - let us fight the boss that is teased at the end!
The good stuff:
- It looked fantastic, and sounded good too.
- Controlled pretty well.
- Level design was okay, for very early levels, of course. I wish the demo had some later stages for us to try.
Overall, disappointing
Yeah, pretty much my thoughts exactly. (I do like the arrangements of Castle of Illusion's music, though.)
I'll still probably pick up the game, especially since Amazon has it for a decent price at the moment. There isn't really anything else I want this year on 3DS aside from All-Stars Transformed, anyway. (Hopefully that demo comes out soon.)
From these impressions, I can see the only true downsides for the game could be the paint / thinner mechanic and the Mickey being slow, since tutorials won't be as heavy going through the game and since platforming will certainly improve going on with the game. I'd like to see a video of the demo, though.
Baconsammy
Banned
Name all the big budget games Rovio has made. They make small games. They make tons of money off small games.
In regards to value + quality, it is by far my favorite game of the year so far. The 3DS would be much better off if it were getting games like this day and date. Also games like Zoo Keeper VS. Mobile games on a mobile platform that dont cost 30-40 dollars. Sounds like a good fit.
The Hermit
Member
best part by far... the gameplay though isn't there.
Too bad
also its the first game fully in Portuguese I played in the 3DS too.
Sounds like the 3DS would have no reason to exist at all, tbh.
Maybe that is just simple reality. Outside Japan, anyway.
Naaah, there's always a reason to exist for a Nintendo handheld, due to Nintendo and third party games.
DrAndonuts
Member
Just finished the Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion demo, some impressions:
First, the bad stuff:
- There were quests, and they all involved getting something for someone - just not very interesting, overall.
- Too much jabbering, slowing down the pace of the game - which is already slow to begin with.
- Tutorials were annoying and inconsistent. The game would stop to explain some actions and have signs for others (which is a much better solution).
- Paint and thinner mechanic: interrupts the game, obligates you to have the stylus in your hand all the time and it's surprisingly hard to get perfect ratings.
- Slow movement. I know it's a throwback to Castle of Illusion, but daaaamn if it doesn't feel better when you that movement boost kicks in (the one that you get from painting something well enough): that should be the normal movement speed, damn it!
- The way the demo ends. I hate this stuff: it's not a soap opera, it's a game demo - let us fight the boss that is teased at the end!
The good stuff:
- It looked fantastic, and sounded good too.
- Controlled pretty well.
- Level design was okay, for very early levels, of course. I wish the demo had some later stages for us to try.
Overall, disappointing
Pretty much my exact impression on the demo. The drawing brings the game to a halt, and the game's already super slow to begin with. Something feels off to me about the 3D presentation too - I think it's because of how low and small the front/main plane is on the screen.
Colonel Mustard
Banned
There is a 3DS version of Zoo Keeper. I wonder why they haven't localized on the eShop.
Baconsammy
Banned
Nintendo's games are reason. I'm saying in addition to their stuff, and big games from third parties, Nintendo needs to be more proactive with getting the big-name, popular mobile titles on the E Shop. The E Shop is currently a joke. They could so much to improve that. If they wanted to. It's not like Rovio would say 'no'. Any opportunity to make cash, they take it.
Is it the competitive online game? If so, that needs to be released in the US. As do all the Picross games.
That's actually interesting, since I loved Mutant Mudds as well, and now that I think about it Mickey's movement isn't really that much slower (though constantly stopping to draw stuff does kill the pacing). I guess it feels slower than Mutant Mudds because the level designs in Mutant Mudds are more compact and the platforming challenges aren't as spaced out.
kobashi100
Banned
The game is clearly listed as In Stores/Download on the eShop. (At least, it says so in my Spanish-configured 3DS).
Starwolf_UK
Member
Not even 2008/2009 $ was that high. I'm being generous and adding 20% VAT to the US price too (so $18).
NOE anchoring the price to a ratio of the (and a daft one at that 2008-2010 one) is the problem really. Though even the price is about 5% more than it should be (but the is not so stable as of late).
I wouldn't call eShop a joke. At least, for original content. From its opening, we had ( and we're going to see)
VVVVVV
Mutant Mudds
Cave Story
NightSky
Mighty Switch Force
Sakura Samurai
Pushmo
Rolling Western
Colors 3D
Fractured Souls
Denpa Men
Zen Pinball + Marvel Pinball
Ketzal's Corridors
Liberation Maiden
Crashmo
Crimson Shroud
Unchained Blades
Fluidity
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Tokyo Crash Mobs
Denpa Men 2
Many good games, some great games. I'd say it's a good output, actually. The real problem for eShop is the Virtual Console, too slow pace for releases. And I'm not saying having iOS titles wouldn't be nice, having more of them would be good. Some are available / coming ( Gunman Clive, Krazy Kangaroo, that isometric title with monsters), but I agree there should be more. And Angry Birds Star Wars wouldn't be bad.
Zee_truly evil
Member
Wow!! The epic Mickey demo was a snorefest, if the touch screen mechanics weren't there it would've been very playable
El Pescado
Member
I, for one, loved the Epic Mickey demo. You guys are crazy.
100%.
If Mickey's movements are similar to Mutant Mudds' character, then no problem at all for me. So, the real only downside is the paint/thinner mechanic.
KirbYuuYuu
Member
Wouldn't say crazy, more like I can understand why people don't like the demo.
Well alright, I played the Power of Illusion demo.
The Good
The Bad
The OK
Overall: I won't lie, my expectations were definitely tempered by the demo. But all things considered, I still enjoyed it, and ohmygod-it's-seriously-gorgeous. I'll buy it, but probably next year when my savings aren't being siphoned away thanks to a new console launch.
The Good
- The spritework is AMAZING. So much character and detail, it's absolutely a visual feast, especially for a Disney fan.
- Environments are all gorgeous as well, everything about this game looks great. The 3D layering, while not as pronounced as in some games, is done well and there are tons of layers. Think Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, except it's not just a static picture. Very impressed.
- The level design was quite good; there even seem to be multiple ways of reaching goals and treasure, which surprised me, especially considering these were just the first couple stages. Sketches (things you can choose to paint at will -- there's a limit to how many you can possess at a time, and this can be increased) will play an increasingly big part in this, I think, as the game goes on, and it's bound to be good fun.
- There seem to be a lot of different ways to upgrade your abilities, and it's up to you how to go about it. Seemed compelling actually.
- Landing a perfect bounce on enemies is pretty satisfying.
The Bad
- People aren't lying. This game is slow. And worse than that, it's floaty, which makes the game feel kind of stilted too.
- TOO MUCH TEXT. I don't have a problem with text if the writing is consistently clever or interesting, but there wasn't much here that gave me that impression. I just mashed A a lot.
- Fetch quests were popping up all over the damn place, and even though I didn't really have to go out of my way to do them (in the demo), it's looking like you'll be replaying levels a bunch down the road. Also some of the quests had me scamper back and forth between rooms of the hub just to play the messenger between the Disney characters. It's boring.
- Most of the characters don't have any voice at all, which is a shame. Mickey's vocalized expressions and exclamations were charming.
- The introductory scene before the game started was supremely dull
The OK
- Painting and thinning mechanics are OK. As others said, they slow down the pace of the game even more, but then again, if you paint well it speeds things up, which is kind of a shitty reward, but it is satisfying.
- There was a glimmer of some decent puzzles relating to the paint/thinner, so I have hope there could be something to it as the game progresses.
- Music wasn't particularly memorable, but it wasn't offensive either. Sound effects were good.
- Challenge was adequate for the early levels.
Overall: I won't lie, my expectations were definitely tempered by the demo. But all things considered, I still enjoyed it, and ohmygod-it's-seriously-gorgeous. I'll buy it, but probably next year when my savings aren't being siphoned away thanks to a new console launch.
Yep, I did the same. Seeing how DreamRift managed to fuck up the demo, I can only fear for the full game
vagabondarts
Member
I loved the Epic Mickey demo. It's obviously the demo they've used at several conferences/events though.
I'll be picking up the game when it comes out.
Hopefully the full game has a lot of meat to it. Also there were a lot of Pete Thwomp blocks.
I'll be picking up the game when it comes out.
Hopefully the full game has a lot of meat to it. Also there were a lot of Pete Thwomp blocks.
Also not particularly fond of a lot of relatively basic abilities blocked off until Jiminy tells you about them, IE spin attacks and the painting shots. Or that kind of redundant "press B again!" to stomp crap.
Meh, think I'll wait. And unskippable scenes in a PLATFORMER is unforgivable. Not that unskippable is good period, but it's especially galling in games like this.
Seven Force
Banned
I really hope the Power of Illusion gets an OST release at the very least. (The first Epic Mickey got one, didn't it...?) I really like the Castle of Illusion music arrangements.
So did Ninja Gaiden come out this week or not?
Get her Style Savvy. Seriously, don't waste your money on anything else. I think it's still $20 at Sears.
Get her Style Savvy. Seriously, don't waste your money on anything else. I think it's still $20 at Sears.
KirbYuuYuu
Member
NOPE. I was cheated and lied to.
Worthintendo
Member
Blame Nintendo, they had it listed as November 8 on their press release a few weeks back
http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/OGU_G3exLa6-MDKl1jfRy9WB7jdG1b0D
Exterminieren
Banned
Fallblox coming next week convinced me not to buy Pokedex 3D. We're being thoroughly ripped off with the pounds conversion with that one, anyway. Hopefully they'll put it in one of their eShop sales somewhere down the line.
KirbYuuYuu
Member
Already did, and it's not the first time we got lied to about release dates for 3DS software. In fact, a lot of lying be happening here with the 3DS.
Epic Mickey has awful gameplay. I'm quite stunned at how bad it is. Very slow paced and uninspired. And drawing or erasing things in the environment on the lower screen slows it down to a crawl. Was also very easy with a generous health bar. Castle of Illusion on the Genesis is a classic and so got my hopes up. Now it is still just a demo and maybe the final product has more meaty gameplay but I couldn't even finish the demo. How many platforms do you obviously need to draw (look at the lower screen) in order to reach higher up until you're tired of doing it? Or erase something that is clearly impeding your progress? Yawn.
Skiesofwonder
Walruses, camels, bears, rabbits, tigers and badgers.
I thought Power of Illusion was decent. I found the gameplay pretty intriguing, but just way too easy. The presentation I had a problem with though, so much potential yet the dialogue feels like it was ripped out of a 10 page children's book. It seemed like the Disney characters were being used just to be used, which I didn't like either. Also not a big fan of the structure of the game. Music was good, graphics were pretty nice.
Unless reviews are overly positive, I'll most likely skip it.
Unless reviews are overly positive, I'll most likely skip it.
I didn't have time to play Power of Illusion's demo until the end. For what I played, I loved the visuals and the OST. The controls are good and I wasn't that bothered with the drawing mechanics. Still,, won't be a day one, since I believe this game will have price drops really soon.
Father_Brain
Banned
Yeah, the writing is really flat. Easier to overlook than it'd be in a game with fully animated cutscenes and voice acting, but if even Adventure Time can have actual effort put into its script...