NINTENDO ====

* Star Fox 64 3D • Resident.

Evil: Revelations ° Professor Layton and
the Last Specter ° Tetris • Solatorobo. -

SUBSCRIBER EDITION
 z * а 7 m B -
2 4! 4 је
о Жы
A о де
Y X `
p s Е

DELAY OF.GAME
HM `
«7-3

..

Foothall has gone

10 the dogs!
Wii. [PG
© 2011 JUDOBABY INC.
Wii is a trademark of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo. judobaby.com
 CONTENTS. SEPTEMBER 2011
Fearsome
Foursome 42
Nintendo's pink
puffball is back in
Kirby's Return to
Dream Land for Wii,
featuring classic
Kirby action, four-
player gameplay,
and the abilityto
hug. What more
could you ask for?

The Nintendo
64 Age of
Innovation 48
The beloved
Nintendo 64 console
is celebrating its
15th birthday, and
we're taking the
opportunity to look
back at the way this
system changed the
face of gaming.

Fear Runs Cold 56

If you're seeking
bone-chilling terror,
look no further than
Resident Evil:
Revelations for the
Nintendo 3DS. We've
got more new
screenshots and
gameplay details
than you can throw a KIRBY'S RETURN TO DREAM LAND 42
zombie at.

THE NINTENDO 64 AGE OF INNOVATION (ТИЙ RESIDENT EVIL: REVELATIONS 56

SEPTEMBER 2011 1
 CONTENTS. SEPTEMBER 2011

Pulse 3D Classics: Xevious (N3DS)

3D Pixel Racing (WW)
Aliens: Infestation (DS)
Power Up Antipole (DW)
Baseball (VC)

Download Bit.Trip Complete (Wii)

Bit.Trip Saga (N3DS)
Bobby Carrot Forever (WW)
Previews Brawl Brothers (VC)
Aliens: Infestation Burn The Rope (WW)

Centipede: Infestation Camping Mama: Outdoor Adventures (DS)

Pac-Man Party 3D Centipede: Infestation (Wii, N3DS)

Pet Zombies Colors! 3D (N3DS)
Professor Layton Deca Sports Extreme (N3DS)
and the Last Specter Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 (DS)
Rune Factory: Driver Renegade (N3DS)
Tides of Destiny Driver San Francisco (Wii)
Tales of the Abyss Face Racers: Photo Finish (N3DS)
Tetris (N3DS) Final Fantasy III (VC)
Fishing Resort (Wii)
Playback Fortified Zone (VC)
Frogger3D(N3DS)
Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove 3D (№305)
Reviews Game & Watch Gallery (VC)
Bit.Trip Complete Go Series: Portable Shrine Wars (DW)
Bit.Trip Saga Kirby Mass Attack (DS)
Camping Mama: Kirby's Return to Dream Land (Wii)
Outdoor Adventures Kirby's Dream Land (VC)
Deca Sports Extreme Kung Fu Dragon (DW)
Dragon Quest Monsters: Let's Golf3D(N3DS)
Joker 2
Madden NFL 12 (Wii)
Driver Renegade Moto Extreme (DW)
Driver San Francisco Pac-Man Party 3D (N3DS)
Face Racers: Photo Finish Pet Zombies (N3DS)
Frogger 3D Pokédex 3D (N3DS)
Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove 3D Professor Layton and the Last Specter (DS)
Kirby Mass Attack Qix (VC)
Madden NFL 12 Resident Evil: Revelations (N3DS)
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Roller Angels (DW)
Survivor Overclocked RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D (N3DS)
бойагогоро: Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny (Wii)
Red The Hunter
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked
Star Fox 64 3D (N3DS)
Solatorobo: Red The Hunter (DS)
Star Fox 64 3D (N3DS)
Community Strider (NES)
Super E.D.F.: Earth Defense Force (VC)
Next Month Tales of the Abyss (N3DS)
Tetris (N3DS)
The Lost Town-The Dust (DW)
Trollboarder (DW)

Л r
DS - NINTENDO DS POWER UP
DW = DSiWARE DOWNLOAD Ë
N3DS = NINTENDO 305 PREVIEW
NES = NINTENDO FEATURE Ë
ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM
PLAYBACK
VC = VIRTUAL CONSOLE
REVIEW E
Wii = wii
STAR FOX 64 30 WW = WiiWARE

2 NINTENDO POWER
The Fury of Zoroark Has Been
Unleashed!
The Pokémon Baccer World Cup.
As Ash and his friends journey to Crown City to join
the crowds watching the Pokémon Baccer World Cup,
mysterious forces are in motion that could bring untold
misfortune to them all! What secrets does Zorua hide and
ark rampaging through the ci

The Fury of Zoroark

Ofjeashed!
Has Been

ALL AGES
 Chris Slate here, back
once again to answer
your letters while
inhaling bad guys. But
first, this month's special
letter request: if the big
Nintendo 3DS price drop
and holiday-season game
lineup of Super Mario 3D
Land and Mario Kart 7

Multiplayer Musings haven't convinced you to

buy a System, what are
you holding out for? Send
‘Chris Slate Two years ago, when we fea- your responses to the
address on page 6, and
tured New Super Mario Bros. Майа:
AUGUST 2011 VR
we'll print the best ones!
Wii on the cover of Vol. 248, |
used this space ta talk about
how fun it was to still play
multiplayer games in person There Із a Plan
1was really excited to see a lot
at a time when online gam-
How Do You Like
of Zelda articles in the last issue.
ing was more popular than it 1was especially psyched to see
had ever been. Now I’m even
Your Hyrule?
an interview with Eiji Aonuma,
more convinced that sharing but one of the questions there
lam not someone who loves a piqued my curiosity: “Where
а couch with other players is better in many
game simply for its graphics, but does Skyward Sword fall in the
ways, and I'm also certain that this style of I think that The Legend of Zelda: timeline?" So, | was wondering, is
play will have a key role in the future of Twilight Princess used its advanced therean official timeline for the
V eo games. I'm not knocking online gam- visuals to immerse the player like Series?
- ВВЕАН D.
ing-it's a different experience that has never before. But here we are five This question has been asked a
years later, and the graphics in The lot, but we're addressing it again
Some advantages over traditional multi- Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword because Mr. Aonuma has recently
player. But one look at the E3 demos fo seem to take a step backward to confirmed that there is an unof-
next year's Wii U console makes it clear tha the days of Ocarina of Time—a ficial Zelda timeline that his team
here is a lot more gaming fun to be had strange thing for a series that refers to. However, in order to re-
has always shaken up the gaming tain the freedom to insert future
with friends in the living room. In the mean- universe. GRAYSON A. adventures wherever they'd like,
time, we're getting another ultiplaye We get letters like yours all the there are no plans to release the
milestone with Kirby's Return to Dream time, but the funny thing is that timeline to the public.

Land for the Wii system, which follows in ` everyone has a different opinion

Viva VC
on what the series's best graphi-
he hallowed our-player footsteps of mod- cal style is. While I personally
ern classics like New Super Mario Bros. Wii loved the look of Twilight Prin- Virtual Console deserves more
and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. And while cess, I do think that the world credit. It helped me get into a lot
we're on the subject of multiplayer gaming, sometimes seemed a little too of game franchises, such as Final
generic-fantasy. | can't choose Fantasy, Mega Man, Metroid,
et's take a m inute to recognize the impact afavorite between the cartoony Sonic the Hedgehog, Donkey
thatthe intendo 64 console made 15 years and more-realistic Zelda styles, Kong Country, and Kid Icarus,
ago with its revolutionary four controller but Skyward Sword could prove and I've learned just how great
ports and standard-setting four-player ex- to be the perfect a mix of both. the 8- and 16-bit eras were. (And
how skilled players had to be back
periences suc 1 as GoldenEye 007. Nintendo
More Carnage!
then, especially when trying to
systems have always found exciting new take on Milon’s Secret Castle.)
ways to bring friends together, and I can't Although your superhero-games So, |want to thank Nintendo for
wait to see where they take us next. feature in Vol. 269 included reviving retro games for people
Venom/Spider-Man: Separation like me who weren't around back
Anxiety, its awesome predecessor, inthe old days. Here's hoping
Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum thatthe Virtual Console offerings
CHRIS SLATE EDITOR IN CHIEF Carnage, wasn't in there! Come on, on Nintendo 3DS will continue to
guys! —cAM M. expand. —YASSIR HEESMYBABY

4 NINTENDO POWER
 |!Puls
И
Ке.ча

"PU
STILL SUPER
Thanks so much for your article on © AFTERALL THESE YEARS ©
the 20th anniversary of the Super
NES. As a child of the N64 era, | hadn't Super MarioWorld

heard of many of these games and

have since started to check them
out on Virtual Console. (ActRaiser is
5000 awesome!) This is what | love
most about Nintendo gaming: its long
history of amazing titles that never go
out of style. CJABBERJAY12

1 know you guys were preoccupied It's good that Nintendo is celebrat- Could put in a page devoted to
with celebrating the anniversaries ingthe 25th anniversary of The fans’ AR pictures? It would be
of The Legend Zelda and the Legend of Zelda, but Donkey Kong awesome! —GABRIEL S.
Super NES, but couldn't you fit in
a party for ol’ Sammy? I know the
is turning 30 this year and no one's
said anything! Please spread the
Hey, great minds think alike!
We're starting a regular column DON'T HASSLE
US release of Metroid wasn't until
1987, but that doesn't change the
word! —NINTENDUDE
We agree that Donkey Kong
called Photo Challenge in this
month's Community section. If THE HOFF
Hello, Mr. Hoff. I'd like to
fact that the franchise has been deserves some special appre- you've taken some cool pics with
around for 25 years! Don't you ciation, which is why we chose your Nintendo DSi or Nintendo show my appreciation for
know it's very rude to forget a tofeature the big ape in this 3DS handheld, send 'em in! your service to loyal Nintendo
girl's birthday? —BLAINE Н. month's Star Power section. Be Power readers with this gift:
As you touched on, Metroid sure to swing by and say hello!
doesn't turn 25 in the US until
next year, and we usually go by Is Mario's Tanooki suit really a Tom
US release dates when observing Nook-ie suit? Because Mario looks
anniversaries. We bent the rules Mega Man has gotten a lot of a bit like ol' Tom Nook from Animal
for our coverage of The Legend attention as far as retro reboots Crossing when he wears it.
of Zelda because Nintendo chose go, but |would love to see a —THE MEGA OOMBLOID
2011 for its official worldwide first-person Mega Man 2 shooter Mario's Tanooki suit appeared 13
celebration—it would have been that played like Metroid Prime, years before Tom Nook, but both
Iwas also hoping you would
too confusing for us to throw with bosses that are a little more are based on the Japanese “гас-
give us your thoughts on
another party a year later. realistic. -DUST MAN coon dog," the Tanuki.
1. Professor Layton vs.
Phoenix Wright
2. Driving through Waluigi's
pinball track
3. Seeing yourself all
rainbowy while racing
While reading the Kid Icarus: Uprising entry in —AUSTIN B.
last month's "Nintendo's Next Wave" feature, The Hoff says: Thanks, Aus-
1 noticed that in one of the screenshots Pit is Komayto ( tin! Getting immortalized in
fighting enemies that look a lot like Metroids. Icarus, 1987) crafts was #148 on my to-do
Isthis an homage to the Metroid series or just list this month, and I never
а coincidence? —LILKEYBLADER666 thought I'd get around to it.
It's no coincidence, but the creatures in Kid Sadly, | have space to say only
Icarus aren't officially Metroids, either. The that if you notice yourself.
crossover came about because the original turning rainbowy, it is not
NES Kid Icarus had the same developers as normal. їп fact, it's probably
the first Metroid, which was created at the caused by expired deodor-
same time. The Kid Icarus manual calls the ant. Discontinue use and take
creature Komayto, and describes it as “A ashower immediately.
mysterious floating creature" that probably
“came from a planet other than Earth.”

SEPTEMBER 2011 5
 NINTENDO ====

EDITOR IN CHIEF Chris Slate

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Steve Thomason
SENIOR EDITOR Chri: man
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Justin Cheng
ART DIRECTOR John Seeger Gilman
CREATIVE DIRECTOR ChrisImlay
CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER Rebekah Lane
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Patrick
Cunningham, Andrew Hayward, Casey
New games on the way for Loe, Nathan Meunier, Randy Nelson,
David Oxford, David Smith, Phil Theobald,
the Paper Mario, Luigi's David Wolinsky
COPY EDITOR Candace Cunningham
INTERNS Cody Martin, Kenny Martin
Mansion, Mario Kart, Super LICENSING MANAGER Frances WallJha

Mario, and Legend of Zelda BUSINESS

VICE PRESIDENT, CONSUMER MEDIA
Kelley Corten, kcortenfafutureus.com
series, plus the Wii U console VICE PRESIDENT, SALES & MARKETING
Rachelle Considine, rconsidinefafutureus.com
coming up next year-who EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR INTEGRATED SALES
Nate Hunt,nhuntfafutureus.com
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF SALES
wouldn't be excited about all Isaac Ugay, iugayfafutureus.com
REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR
of that? —DEDE Carol Gillard, cgillardfafutureus.com
REGIONAL SALES MANAGER
Arthur St. Germain, astgermainfafutureus.com
REGIONAL SALES MANAGER
Doug Parsons, dparsonsfafutureus.com
REGIONAL SALES MANAGER
Jen Doerger, jdoerger(afutureus.com
What did you think of Nintendo’s showing at E3? ADVERTISING COORDINATOR
Heidi Hapin, hhapinfafutureus.com
MARKETING & SALES DEVELOPMENT
1 watched Nintendo’s entire ЕЗ DIRECTOR Rhoda Bueno
1 watched the live stream of I thought Nintendo's ЕЗ showing CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Crystal Hudson
press conference streaming live Nintendo's ЕЗ conference on my was awesome! The Wii U NEWSSTAND DIRECTOR Bill Shewey
CONSUMER MARKETING OPERATIONS
and was excited for all 70 minutes computer, and was very pleased controller looks like the perfect DIRECTOR LisaRadler
RENEWAL & BILLING MANAGER Mike Hill
of it. Wii U looks awesome, and I with what | saw. The Wii U system, mix between a home console and MARKETING ASSOCIATE Robbie Montinola
think Pikmin will be a great fit for new Super Smash Bros. games a handheld system, and there
PRODUCTION
it. The new Animal Crossing looks for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and already appear to be a lot of PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Michael Hollister
awesome, Fortune Street and Luigi's Mansion 2—where do | sign PRODUCTION MANAGER Larry Вгізепо
innovative ideas built upon things PRINT ORDER COORDINATOR Jennifer Lim
Mario Party 9 both look sweet, up?! And beingaproud Nintendo such as the controller's gyroscope
CONSUMER MARKETING
and the Rhythm Heaven and 3DS owner, I can't wait for Super and touch screen. And the games MARKETING & SALES DEVELOPMENT
Kirby games made my day when | Mario 3D Land. Overall, Nintendo's DIRECTOR Rhoda Bueno
that were announced for the CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Crystal Hudson
saw them (not to mention Luigi's been kicking butt and chewing Nintendo 3DS really make me wish NEWSSTAND DIRECTOR Bill Shewey
CONSUMER MARKETING OPERATIONS
Mansion 2). -тне DOCTOR bubble gum when it comes to E3 Г had one. - ЄРЕМСЕВ М. DIRECTOR Lisa Radler
and everything else! Nintendo RENEWAL & BILLING MANAGER Mike Hill
MARKETING ASSOCIATE Robbie Montinola
I think | died when Nintendo's forever! GARRETT MCD. | was overjoyed when I found out
FUTURE US, Inc.
event started with a live orchestra about the new Luigi's Mansion p 4000 Shoreline Court,
playing Zelda tunes while a Zelda Гат а dedicated Nintendo Power game! Add the Wii U reveal, and Suite 400, South San
(AU dt Francisco, СА 94080
montage played on the screen, subscriber, but because of the you've got one of the most exciting ЫШЫ www.futureus.com
and |loved all the announcements recent mail strike in Canada, | had ЕЗ shows ever! -PoNKooLa
about the series’s silver anniver- to wait longer than usual to get PRESIDENT John Marcom
VICE PRESIDENT & CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
sary. As for the unveiling of Wii U: my copy of Vol. 269. And the worst I thought Nintendo's showing at John Sutton
VICE PRESIDENT, INTERNET & MOBILE
I love the new controller and the part is, it was the E3 edition! And it E3 was spectacular. My personal PRODUCTS Mark Kramer
factthat the console incorporates wasthe issue where the Wii U was GENERAL COUNSEL AnneOrtel
favorite part was the Legend of HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR Nancy DuBois
the Wii (I love that little system), explained! While | was waiting, | Zelda anniversary presenta- FUTURE PLC
and I'm excited for more details to wouldn't let any of my friends tell tion-the full-blown orchestra and 30 Monmouth St., Bath, Avon, ВАТ 2BW, England
Tel +44 1225 442244 /www.fütureplc.com
emerge. —VILE MALMORT me about anything shown at E3 video retrospective were all that a NON-EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN: Roger Parry
because I wanted to hear it from Zelda fanboy like me could ask for. CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Stevie Spring
GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR: John Bowman.
І really like the possibilities of NP first. |finally got my issue, By the way, did you know that the Nintendo Power Customer Care
the Wii U console's new features and I'm stoked for the Wii U and music in the Skyward Sword trailer РО. Box 5770, Harlan, ІА 51593-1270
1-866-941-8368
and its technical power. Nintendo all of the new games for Wii and is actually Zelda's Lullaby played For Subscription Problems Only!
nintendopowerfdcdsfulfillment.com.
also seems to be doing things Nintendo 305! —SUPER_SONIC backwards? —ТНЕ uMANOID http://service.futureus-inc.com/
REPRINTS: For reprints, contact Reprint
right by bringing in third-party Management Services, 717.299.1900 ext, 100
Western developers. However, | Game trademarksandcopyrights arepropertyof
their respective owners. TM, @, the Nintendo 05
noticed there wasn't a huge set logo and the Wii logo are trademarks of Nintendo.
©2011 Nintendo.
of third-party Japanese games ISSN: 1041-9551
announced. Here's hoping some Nintendo Power magazine is published by Future
US, Inc. under an official licensing agreement with
will be shown when more info on Nintendo of America Inc. Future US isawholly
independent company from Nintendo, and the
the system comes out. As far as opinions and views expressed in this publication are
solely those of the magazine's writers and do not
the Wii is concerned, this year is represent official communication by, or on behalf
of, Nintendo.
looking very lackluster except for
Kirby and Zelda. The system needs
Official
more new games. —ZAKI H.
Seal

6 NINTENDO POWER
 NINTENDOPOWER.
COM/POLLS

WHICH COLOR WAS YOUR PRIMARY “тшшш”

N64 CONTROLLER? nega
Gray Black Blue Purple Green Other

ANNOYING
43%

OF YOU PLAYED N64 SUPER

SMASH BROS. FOR MORE
THAN 50 HOURS

ае
=a
со
=
сс
Без
=
66%
MARIO
POLYGONAL
[-=
Lat
a.
E
a

BEST N64 WRESTLING GAME

WWE
WRESTLEMANIA MOST LASTING
2000 IMPACT
4 THE LEGEND
¿ OF ZELDA:
OCARINAOF

" .
TIME

N D O 6 4 и
IFIRST PLAYED THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME ON

«Ж N I N T
артил
E Nintendo 64 40% • Nintendo 305 GOLDENEYE
WCW/NWO REVENGE Wii Virtual Console 19% " GameCube 007

SEPTEMBER 2011 7
 NINTENDO DS.

Nintendo looks to give theNintendo 305 аboost the price drop took effect on August 12th will be able
to download 10 NES and 10 Game Boy Advance titles
free of charge (see page 20 for more information).

heading into the critical holiday season. In a further effort to bolster sales this holiday
season, Nintendo will release a new "Flame Red"
version of the Nintendo 3DS in North America on
WITH SALES OF the Nintendo 3DS handheld lagging development teams will work on which projects, September 9th. The publisher also announced that
behind expectations, Nintendo has decided to drop the results of which shall be launched next year and two of its most hotly anticipated titles for the hand-
the price of the hardware from $249.99 to $169.99. beyond. Removing their concerns on the sales of the held—Super Mario3D Land and Mario Kart 7-will
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata acknowledged Nintendo 3DS hardware will be very critical for us to arrive in November and December, respectively.
the magnitude of the cut during a recent investor be able to enrich the applicable software in the years Finally, мага made one other interesting
briefing. In explaining one of the reasons behind to come. In fact, immediately after our announce- note regarding Nintendo's future plans, stating
the move, he stated, “We thought that eliminating ment...Nintendo employees started to receive that the company is “preparing a system for
the concerns of future hardware expansion early on feedback from retailers and software publishers micro-transactions and so-called add-on content
would make a great difference to how retailers and around the world, and this feedback is, in general, for both the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U, and for the
software publishers will allocate their energies... rather positive." Those who purchased a Nintendo Nintendo 3DS we are targeting to release something
Software publishers are currently reviewing which 3DS and connected to the Nintendo eShop before this calendar year." —sTEVE T.

8 NINTENDO POWER
 POWER UP

The Life Aquatic

The co-creator ofSonic the Hedgehog tries to hook players on something a bit
more relaxing with Fishing Resort.
YUJI NAKA'S gone fishin’. The Your fellow vacationers will ask you ice fishing. There are more than 200
latest project from the legendary to help them with various tasks, and varieties of sea life in all, and each
developer's Prope studio is Fishing a bulletin board offers all sorts of has been painstakingly rendered
Resort, and it’s coming to North daily activities and contests. with authentic detail. In fact, а lot
American Wii consoles this fall As for the fishing itself, the resort more care seems to be going into
courtesy of XSEED. As per its moni- offers nearly every kind of opportu- Fishing Resort's visuals than you'd
ker, the game is as much about the nity you can imagine. You can rent a expect from a game of its ilk. It also title that XSEED published-lvythe
resort as it is the fishing, with light kayak to find a hidden cove, charter offers multiplayer competitions Kiwi?—was a hidden gem, so let's
RPG elements that encourage you to a boat for some deep-sea fishing, or for up to four anglers, as well as an hope the same proves true with this
explore your tropical surroundings. even scale the local mountain to go online leaderboard. The last Prope one. —STEVE T.

Anniversary Presents
This year marks the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, and Nintendo plans to
celebrate the occasion with a number of initiatives. As previously announced, that includes
a symphony featuring music from throughout the series. We can now report that the
symphony’s first tour stop will be in Los Angeles on October 21st, followed by London on
October 25th. Additional dates will be announced soon on www.zelda-symphony.com. In
the meantime, those of you who live elsewhere can participate in a Zelda flipnote contest,
download some gorgeous 25th anniversary wallpapers (including the one shown to the
left), and learn all about the franchise’s history at zelda.nintendo.com.

SEPTEMBER 2011 g
 POWER UP

д в
pic Art Book
The twisted beauty ofEpic Mickey goes from the
video screen to the printed page.

ge hardcover coffee- ~
tad THE ART OF

ver EPIC 6 М
y from cre- жер

man. The Art MICKEY

BY AUSTIN GROSSMAN

In wh ts, Capcom
has a S has been
сапсе sion
of the | be
released. In « Ibisoft's Assassin's Creed: Lost Legacy for N3DS
has been scr

2Z//0;rÑ;FÜ@rD5yÁ/VKÁi:101U/Ç760076:16Fə>⁄JCÚD2Š⁄1⁄⁄
A WINNER IS... кы DODONGO DISLIKES...
Both Nintendo 309 early kis Getting players to make your
adopters and latecomers. game...and then canceling if.
 POWER UP

Once your video game is synced with your active they are in the Pokémon Dream World, sS
Pokémon Trainer Club account on the PGL the more content they will unlock. Rack up those
website, you can transfer items and Pokémon Dream Points and see what happens!
from the Pokémon Dream World to your video
game, track your Gym Badges on your profile Can we expect to see the PGL grow in the future?
page, see how your battle skills compare against 1 will answer with an emphatic yes! There are a lot
other Pokémon Trainers from around the world, of big plans in the works for the Pokémon Global
and quite a lot more. Link. We have some exciting promotions coming
up to distribute Pokémon and customized C-Gear
What exactly is the Pokémon Dream World, and skins through Pokémon Global Link, and there are
what kinds of things can users do there? many more surprises on the way.
The Pokémon Dream World allows you to experi-
ence the dreams of sleeping Pokémon. You “tuck Do you have any tips to help users make the
in" the Pokémon you want to fall asleep in your most of the PGL?
Experience anew side ofPokemon video game, then after performing a Game Sync, The best way to maximize your haul in the
Black and Pokémon White Versions your Pokémon will appear in the Pokémon Dream
World on your computer.
Pokémon Dream World is to visit regularly. You'll
earn Dream Points by being active, and more
with the Pokémon Global Link. In the Pokémon Dream World, you can befriend Dream Points result in more areas to explore and
Pokémon by playing minigames and more rows in your garden. More rows in your
growing Berries. You can also swap garden means more Berries, and more Berries
items with other sleeping Pokémon, means more Décor items you can use to redecorate
explore different landscapes, and your house. It's all connected in a great way.
decorate your own special home. Alot of Pokémon Trainers may not know this, but
The best part about the Pokémon the Pokémon you befriend in the Pokémon Dream
Dream World is that your Pokémon World may have Hidden Abilities that are different
will bring the other Pokémon, than what they'd normally have. Sometimes these
Berries, and items you collect in Hidden Abilities offer great advantages in battle!
the Pokémon Dream World back to
your video game when it wakes up. Finally, why should every Pokémon fan be sure
Since you can befriend Pokémon to utilize the Pokémon Global Link?
from regions other than Unova, it's For me, there's just something satisfying about
agreat way to add Pokémon to your seeing your Pokémon drift to sleep on the Nintendo
collection that would otherwise be DS, and then watching it appear in its dream in the
difficult to catch. Pokémon Dream World. The first time |did this,
AS MANY POKÉMON fans have already discovered, The Pokémon Dream World features a unique lused Reshiram. Seeing my Reshiram appear in
the Pokémon Global Link (www.pokemon.com/pgl) art style as well, so it's fun to see how your favorite the Pokémon Dream World was just so quirky and
offers many new experiences to players of Pokémon Pokémon look when they're in the Pokémon fun—you have to experience it for yourself.
Black and Pokémon White Versions. To find out more Dream World. My personal favorite is Garbodor! Beyond that simple pleasure, there are practical
about the website's current and future offerings, advantages for Pokémon Trainers that the
we chatted with Andy Hartpence, Online Marketing What does the Global Battle Union have to offer? Pokémon Global Link offers. The ability to grow
Director at The Pokémon Company International. The Global Battle Union allows you to rub elbows Berries which are not as common in Pokémon
with some of the best Pokémon Trainers in the Black Version and Pokémon White Version is a
NINTENDO POWER Generally speaking, what world. When you play Random Matchup Rating major perk. Combined with the ability to befriend
isthe Pokémon Global Link? Mode in either Pokémon Black Version or Pokémon from outside Unova, the Pokémon
ANDY HARTPENCE The Pokémon Global Link Pokémon White Version, your battles will affect Dream World really has a lot to offer.
isanonline extension of the Pokémon Black your placement on the GBU Rankings. Finally, if you're good enough—which I’m not-
Version and Pokémon White Version video games. The GBU Rankings are broken down into you could see yourself at the top ofthe Global Battle
Pokémon Trainers can experience the dreams Seasons, with a new season kicking off every three Union Rankings. What could be cooler than that?
of their Pokémon in the Pokémon Dream World, months. After a season wraps up, the final battle
or see how they stack up against other Pokémon results are calculated for Trainers who participated
Trainers across the world in the Global Battle in at least 10 battles during the season. The top
Union. It's all about connectivity. 100 Pokémon Trainers in each season's Overall
Ranking are rewarded with a special trophy avatar
What do players need to do to start using the to use on the Pokémon Global Link.
PGL? Can you use the PGL if you don't own Also, we'll be hosting special tournaments on
Pokémon Black or Pokémon White Version? the Global Battle Union so keep your eyes peeled
Even if you don't own the game yet, you can check for upcoming events!
out the Global Battle Union and Pokémon Dream
World by using the Demo Version of the site (all What are your hopes for the PGL?
you need is an internet connection and a Pokémon My hope is that everyone who plays Pokémon
Trainer Club account, available for free at Pokemon. Black Version or Pokémon White Version takes
com). There is a lot to explore if you're playing the the time to visit the Pokémon Global Link at
Demo Version of the Pokémon Global Link, but to least once. The PGL truly is an extension of the
maximize the fun and benefits of the website you video game, and | want all Pokémon Trainers to

/
should use Game Sync to connect your Pokémon experience the Pokémon Dream World and take
Trainer Club account to either Pokémon Black advantage of the features it has to offer.
Version, Pokémon White Version, or both games. І also want players to know that the more
* Visit this webpage for further instructions:
hitp://pglhelp.pokemon.com/en/02_01/
SEPTEMBER 2011 1
POWER UP ÍFIRST APPEARANCE:
| DONKEY KONG

Зопкеу Копа
|ARCADE, 19810

Acloser look atthe

characters we love
Whether hero or villain, this simian supreme is one of
gamingsundisputed all-time greats.
CAREER GRAPH ZZ
^

1994
Donkey Kong
reemerges as a
bonafidehero. +
He fights and ;
5%
7881
Donkey Kong bursts onto
defeats the evil
Kremli 2009
х ё 70%
2010
DK takes charge once
= the scene and becomes оше ОК proves himself =" more, this time saving his
= an instant icon... @ = {; a master of the е island from freaky tikis
š : л. “э... pugilistic arts. > with mind-control powers.

Е "DD туу. НЕЕ ЕЧ MASA,

5 : е on
E 4 фу Т dee
zr LI U i Adding insultto injury, Mario
2 captures Donkey Kong and 1985
Uu REA m locks him in a cage. š Donkey Konggets —
debut takes a turn for the
worse when Mario drops
ЛАВА
When DK breaks loose again,
5 CATE Kaga WANEN
sidekick Diddy embarks on
the poor guy on his head Mario doesn't even bothertoshow an adventure.
x up. DK must battle third-stringer
“7 Stanley the exterminator.

OUR FAVORITE DONKEY KONG GAMES А

Donkey Kong Country Returns

12 Tay S ани Donkey Kong Country Donkey Kong Jungle Beat Wii, 2010
Donkey Kong SUPER NES, 1994 GAMECUBE, 2005 After taking a break from tradi-
GAME BOY, 1994 Featuring groundbreaking prer- Anaction game controlled via bon- tional platforming for several years,
The original Donkey Kong arcade endered graphics and impeccably gos sounds kind of questionable, but Donkey Kong made a big-time
game, released in 1981, tells the clas- designed platforming action, Donkey | Donkey Kong pulled it off. The game comeback in Donkey Kong Country
sic story of how Mario saved his girl- Kong Country redefined what the looks beautiful, and it's especially Returns. The game offers all the
friend, Pauline, from Donkey Kong's big ape was all about and turned fun to slap the drum controller to technique and challenge that made
clutches. The Game Boy game of the him into а full-fledged gaming hero. pound some sense into the mon- the series a hit, along with new foes
same name builds upon its predeces- No one takes DK's bananas and gets Strous bosses. and vastly improved visuals.
sor in almost every way imaginable. away with it.
 POWER UP

Donkey Kong might seem like he thinks AG GL

about only bananas, but surely within
his ape brain lies
atactical genius wor- W HAT 9 |N Д МА М E?
thy of the leaderof theDK Crew. Only What's the deal with Donkey Kong's
someone of extreme mental acumen . name, anyway? After all, he's not half
could withstand the mind-control abili- Я 3
ties of the Tiki Tak Tribe, right? кушун Donkey ne
creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, hasn't given
DONKEY KONG COUNTRY
GAME BOY ADVANCE, 2003 a definitive answer, but there are many
stories about where the name originat-
ed. One theory is that the moniker was
meant to be Monkey Kong but somehow
DK's large hands are good
got garbled, while another states that
for much more than giving
donkeyis the word thataJapanese-to-
a thumbs-up. Не also uses
English dictionary determined would be
them to pound the ground,
best to convey sillyorstupid. Whatever
climb vines, toss barrels,
the reason, we can't imagine the big lug
drive karts, and snatch
being called anything else.
unsuspecting maidens.

Check out these pearly whites. Donkey Kong

might have the best dental-hygiene habits in
the history of video games.

OB
MUSICAL MAYHEM |
Donkey Kong is obviously big and
strong, but did you know he’s also a
naturally gifted musician? After dis-
covering a set of magical bongos in
the Donkey Konga games, DK proved
his musical mastery by facing off
If might makes right,
against numerous other performers. i Donkey Kong originally didn’t wear Kong is never wrong.
The prime primate also utilizes bongos for his Final Smash: any clothingatall. By the mid 19905, His UNE cns й
move in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, proving that if a character Е however, he began wearing his give him unmatched
is cool enough, he can even succeed by bongos. trademark monogrammed necktie.
strength!
 offered players the opportunity to
build the virtual amusement park
of their dreams-focusing heavily
on roller-coaster design, naturally.
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D will feature
several coaster-design options,
including suspended, hydraulic,
wooden, steel, and inverted types.
Of course, roller coasters alone do
not a park make, so numerous other
rides will be available to enterprising
would-be tycoons, including mono-
rails, prebuilt kiddie rides, carousels,
and county-fair style-constructions.
Parks can also be draped in themes,

Is That a Roller
which will include haunted-house
and Atari flavors.
n-Space is aiming for "deep, but
approachable" for their park sim,
sothe complexities of juggling ride

Coaster in
construction and park mainte-
nance—which will include hiring and
managing staff, such as janitors and
mechanics—across multiple play

Your Pocket?
modes (e.g., Coaster Creator and
Sandbox) will be tempered with built-
IN DAN KN in tutorial features. Coaster Story
ЦРНИ ЧЕ mode, for example, will teach players
how to do everything through a series

Now you can take your amusement empire with you of multifaceted scenarios/tutorials.
Furthermore, an in-game advisor
in RollerCoaster Tycoon for the Nintendo 305. will assist with identifying park
objectives and will inform players
THE LONG-RUNNING RollerCoaster 3D-and touch-screen controls. More of their progress toward said objec-
Tycoon series is laying tracks for importantly, this addition to the series tives. Clearly, Atari and n-Space
Nintendo 3DS, courtesy of Atari and is being built from the ground up with hope to offer something for both
developer n-Space. RollerCoaster all-new assets exclusively for N3DS. casual and simulation-obsessed
Tycoon 3D will, of course, take advan- The RollerCoaster Tycoon fran- gamers; when this one hits the
tage of N3DS technology, including chise, which debuted in 1999 and has streets in March, we'll see if they've
stereoscopic graphics—you'll be since sold upward of 11 million units, succeeded. —PATRICK C.
able to ride your coaster creations in according to publisher Atari, has long

амн |узећу зыла} зо гпбег артпа :380308УН 'SPOOM 5,онем :39VH3AV ‘VANAS ASVI

14 NINTENDO POWER
 NINTENDOIDS.

М о. |
ALMOST UNLIMITED PLAY! EAD

ға М
о
а
2
ш
Е
2
2

КOVУERШLOАAD
Сул: =

* Golf
FreeCell * Klondike° Spider
Pyramid » Yukon |
"чапа 95 more games!

available
for iPad

CTELEGAMES )
 Limited to only 100 pieces This series of Mega Man
worldwide, this 20th аппі- mini-figure keychains (sold in
versary Sonic the Hedgehog Japan) includes multiple ver-
statue from First 4 Figures is sions of Mega Man, plus Proto
the ultimate collectible for Man, Roll, and several classic
Blue Blur fans. Mega Man villains.

Start your engines for these K’nex kart-building sets featuring Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi
from Mario Kart Wii. Each set includes 65 interchangeable pieces, including apower-up
and a pull-back motor. You can find them at most toy retailers.

16 ъътемоо power
 2 Жж.
B с 4

I W] ТЕГІН
х f

AC-MAN AND.GALAGANO
|| LITTLE. ШЕЙ. ЛЕЙ ||| АІ Ul МЕ UD:

Ж ==
КҮЛЕ
BLU x
Tz
Eom

Е)

Comic Mischief
Fantasy Violence
Е
ESRB
 POWER UP

Ж
GAME FORECAST |
The Adventures of Tintin”
Ben 10 Galactic Racing
Ubisoft
D3Publisher
ran
ШІ
Tekken”
Tom Clancy's
Ghost Recon Online.
Namco Bandai
Ubisoft
ТВА
ТВА
Generator Rex:
Agent of Providence
Gundam"
Activision

Namco Bandai
10/11

ТВА
The Black Eyed Peas Ubisoft ТВА Happy Feet Two: Warner Bros. ІШІ
Experience Aliens: Infestation Sega 10/10 The Videogame.
Cabela's Survival: Activision ТІЛІ Bejeweled 3 PopCap HOLT Harvest Moon: Natsume Е
‘Shadows of Katmai Ben 10 Galactic Racing O3Publisher 10/11 The Taleof Two Towns 30
Call of Duty: Activision ІШІ Beyblade Metal Masters. Konami nm Heroes of Ruin Square Enix 202
Modern Warfare 3 The Hidden Majesco II
Call
ofDuty: Modern Activision ШІ
Cartoon Network Punch Crave HOLT Warfare 3— Defiance. Horses 30 Ubisoft ІШІ
Time Explosion Imagine Babyz3D Ubisoft ШІ
Doodle Hex TBA TBA
Centipede: Infestation Mati nt
Imagine Fashion Designer Ubisoft ІШІ
Vote for your favorites at Dora and Kai-Lan's Pet Shelter 2K Play ШІ
Champion Jockey: Tecmo Көгі 10m
James Noir's Ubisoft її
Generator Rex: Activision ШІ
www.nintendopower.com/polls GI Jockey & Gallop Racer
Agent of Providence. Hollywood Crimes
Country Dance 2 GameMill ШІ
Ghostwire: Link to TBA TBA Jaws: Ultimate Predator Majesco nm
DanceDanceRevolulionl! — Konami НШІ
‘the Paranormal Kid Icarus: Uprising Nintendo HOLTI
Disney Universe. Disney ІШІ
Happy FeetTwo: WarnerBros. 10/1 Kingdom Hearts: Square Enix TBA
Family Feud 2012" Ubisoft ІШІ
The Videogame. Dream Drop Distance
Family Game Night 4: Electronic Arts ІШІ Harvest Moon: Natsume E LEGO City Stories Nintendo 2012
The Game Show The Tale of Two Towns DS LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7. Warner Bros. Wo
Family Game Night Fun Pack —Electronic Arts ІШІ
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 МагпегВгоѕ. НП Lion's Pride: Adventures Majesco TBA
Fishing Resort Xseed ЭШ
Moxie Girlz GameMill ШІ inthe Serengeti
в Fortune Street
Generator Rex:
Nintendo
Activision
HOLT
ІШІ
Pirate Battle OrbitalMedia TBA Lovely Lisa 3D Tomy ТВА
Power Rangers Samurai NamcoBandai ІІ Luigi's Mansion 2 Nintendo 2012
ШЕ The Legend ofZelda: Agent of Providence
Pillow Pets GameMill ІШІ Mahjong Cub3D Atlus ТВА
Во Vacation Namco Bandai ІШІ
Skyward Sword Happy Feet Two: Warner Bros. ШІ
Professor Layton Nintendo ш Mario&Sonic a! Sega ane
and the Last Specter the London 2012.
E Kirby's Returnto Dream Land The Videogame
Jaws: Ultimate Predator Majesco ШІ Quest for Zhu Activision Аш Olympic Games
Shin Megami Tensei: Atlus WIN12 Mario Кап? Nintendo Tent
ЕП Mario Party9 Jimmie Johnson's Anything |Autumn
with an Engine
ШІ
Devil Survivor 2 Martha Stewart Majesco TBA

E Mario& Sonic at the London Just Dance 3 Ubisoft ІШІ Spider-Man: Edge ofTime
Super Fossil Fighters
Activision
Nintendo
ІШІ
HOLTI
Marvel Super Hero Squad:
The Infinity Gauntlet
THO 19/1

2012 Olympic Games Karaoke Revolution

Glee: Volume 3
Konami ШІ
Team Umizoomi 2K Play ІІІ Metal Gear Solid: Konami HOLT
Snake Eater 30
E Rayman Origins Kirby's Return to
Dream Land
Nintendo АШТ ThinkSMART Naraba:
The Labyrinth of Light
Mentor. 10/1
Michael Jackson Ubisoft Ty
The Legend ofZelda: Nintendo HOLT ThinkSMART Naraba: Mentor 10/11 The Experience.

NN
NINTENDODS Skyward Sword The Mysterious Palace Nano Assault Majesco ІШІ
B» 23, LEGO Harry Potter:Years 5-7 Warner Bros. HOLTI Ultimate Brain Games Telegames ||МІНІ? Naruto Shippuden Action* Tomy TBA
Mario Party8 Nintendo TBA Ultimate Card Games Telegames НШІ NCIS* Ubisoft зло
Mario & Sonic at the london Sega її Wappy Dog Activision. HOLT Need for Speed: The Run. Electronic Arts m
2012 Olympic Games X-Men: Destiny Activision ЕШ Nicoli's Pencil Puzzle Konami вит
Marvel Super Него Squad: THO nm ThuZhu Babies Activision ШШ Ninja Gaiden* Тесто Koei ТВА
Comic Combat
Zoobles Activision ІІІ Pac-Man Party 30 Namco Bandai 201
Monopoly Collection. Electronic Arts ІШІ
Paper Marlo” Nintendo TBA
E Professor Layton NCIS Ubisoft 10/11
Ace Combat 30 Namco Bandai 201 Pet Zombies Majesco ТІЛІ
andћеLast Specter Need for Speed: The Run Electronic Arts ІІІ
The Adventures of Tintin Ubisoft ТӨЛІ Planet Crashers 3D Ignition 2012
Nickelodeon Dance 2k Play ШІ
‘Animal Crossing* Nintendo TBA Pokémon Rumble Blast Nintendo ІШІ
ЕЕ LEGO Harry Potter: Years5-7 Power Rangers Samurai Namco Bandai її
Ben 10 Galactic Racing O3Publisher ІІІ Professor Layton and level ТВА
The Price is Right Decades Ubisoft ІШІ the Mask of Miracle*
IB] Shin Megami Tensei: Pyroblazer TBA ТВА.
BloodRayne: The Shroud
A Boy and His Blob
Majesco
Majesco
ТВА
TBA Puzzler Mind Gym* Ubisoft ЕШ
Devil Survivor2 Rayman Origins Ubisoft 201
Brunswick Pro Bowling Crave TBA Rayman Origins Ubisoft ane
Rhythm Heaven. Nintendo. ТВА Raving Rabbids 5" Ubisoft ІШІ
ІП Spider-Man: EdgeofTime Rune Factory: Natsume 10m
Captain America: Super
Soldier
Sega А
Resident Evil: Revelations Capcom 202
Tides of Destiny
E Super Fossil Fighters Carnival Games" Take-Two TBA RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D Mati зла
Skylanders: Зруго5 Activision

NN
ІШІ
Adventure Cave Story 3D Ni$America ІІІ Shin Megami Atlus ТВА
Spider-Man: Edge of Time Activision ШІ Centipede: Infestation май ШІ Tensei: Persona*
NINTENDO 305 Trivial Pursuit; Electronic Arts ІШІ Chocobo Racing 30" Square Enix TBA Shinobi Sega ІШІ
Bet You Know it Contra" Konami ТВА The Sims 3 Pets Electronic Arts Аш
МІРІ? THO ШІ Cooking Мата 4: Majesco ІШІ Skylanders: Activision Tort
X-Men: Destiny. Activision ЕШ Kitchen Magic Spyro's Adventure
Zumba Fitness2 Majesco ІШІ Crash-City ВР Rocket TBA Sonic Generations Sega ШІ
Crush 30 Sega ane Spider-Man: Edge of Time Activision ШШ
‘Aliens: Colonial Marines Sega TBA Cute Puppies Ubisoft Tnt Sudoku Premler Edition Majesco TBA
Batman: Arkham City Warner Bros. TBA de Blob2 THO TBA Super Mario 3D Land Nintendo ІШІ
E Mario Kart7 Battlefield 3 Electronic Arts TBA Doctor Lautrec and the Konami ІШІ Super Robot” Namco Bandai TBA
Darksiders || THO TBA Forgotten Knights Super Smash Bros." Nintendo. TBA
E Super Mario 3D Land Killer Freaks from Ubisoft TBA Dragon Вай“. Namco Bandai ТВА Tales of the Abyss Namco Bandai ШИ
Outer Space Dragon Quest” Square Enix ТВА Tekken 3D Namco Bandai TBA
E Luigi's Mansion? LEGO City Stories Nintendo TBA Dynasty Warriors* Tecmo Koei ТВА Tetris Tetris Online ТІЛІ
Etrian Odyssey" Atlus TBA Thor: God of Thunder Sega ни
E Paper Mario* Metro: Last Light
Ninja Gaiden ІІ:
THO
Tecmo Koei
TBA
TBA Рат" Ubisoft ІШІ V8-robo Rocket TBA

SSZ
E Kid Icarus: Uprising Razor's Edge
Pikmin* Nintendo TBA
ННІ?
Final Fantasy”
Electronic Arts
Square Enix
МИП
ТВА
WonderWorld
‘Amusement Park
Majesco TBA

Super Smash Bros.” Nintendo TBA Fractured Soul 30 Ignition 202 100 Resort Ubisoft ІШІ

RED TEXT = GAMES ADDED THIS MONTH. * TENTATIVE TITLE NOTE: RELEASE DATES OFTEN CHANGE, ALL NINTENDO 305 SCREENSHOTS HAVE BEEN CAPTURED IN 20 MODE.
18 NINTENDO POWER
 “THE
HISTORY
c LIGHT

WillBE
WRITTEN
IN BLOOD!”
—BANONDORF, THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS, 2006

1 © 2006 Nintendo. а
The Legend of Zelda апа

SUBSCRIBE TODAY: мим.nintendopower com/speak trademarks ofNintendo,

Nintendo P.

И
 IN THIS
SECTION
NINTENDO 305
DOWNLOAD NEWS
NES and GBA Games on
Virtual Console
NINTENDO 305
DOWNLOAD BONUS
Pokédex 3D
NINTENDO 3DS
DOWNLOAD PREVIEW
Colors! 30

DSiWARE REUIELIS:
ANTIPOLE
FARM FRENZY
GO SERIES: PORTABLE
‘SHRINE WARS Downloadable NES and А games will be available to Nintendo 306 owners.
KUNG FU DRAGON
THE LOST TOWN— IN JULY, NINTENDO announced some no plans to make these 10 [GBA] games NES or GBA games released on N3DS
THE DUST
great news for fans of classic gaming: available to the general public on the Virtual Console beyond the 20 titles that
МОТО EXTREME
NES and Game Boy Advance games are Nintendo 3DS in the future." As of press were initially announced, but the future
ROLLER ANGELS
making their way to the Nintendo 3DS time, Nintendo representatives could not certainly looks bright for vintage gaming
TROLLBOARDER
Virtual Console service. The news is even confirm if there would be any additional on the go. CHORATIO M.
better for early adopters of the Nintendo
3DS system; if you've logged onto the
Nintendo eShop any time before Aug. 12,
you'll be automatically enrolled in the
Nintendo 3DS Ambassador program, and
you'll be able to get the games for free.
Starting on September 1, Ambassadors
will be able to download portable ver-
sions of 10 of the NES era's greatest hits,
including Super Mario Bros., The Legend
of Zelda, Donkey Kong Jr., Ice Climber,
and Balloon Fight. (The NES Virtual
Console games will be made available
to non-Ambassadors via the Nintendo р-оооооо і
eShop at a later date.) Before the end 189 080595509)
of the year, 10 downloadable Game Boy
Advance Virtual Console games—such as
Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Yoshi's Island:
Super Mario Advance 3, Metroid Fusion,
Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and WarioWare
Inc.: Mega Microgame$—will also be
available to Ambassadors for no charge.
Nintendo has stated that it "currently has

20 NINTENDO POWER
 DOWNLOAD

A Storm Is Comin
као
The sky-surfing Tornadus is ready to take over your Pokédex 3D!

FREE via the Nintendo eShop!

yy

NINTENDS SDS.
View with the Pokédex 3D application.

STILL TRYING to fill out your Pokédex 3D? We're here to help! Hot on the heels scanned, which is the only way to register Tornadus on your own (the other
of last issue's Victini AR Marker, this month we're offering one for Tornadus. option is to get it from someone who has it already). Check back next issue
You can receive the Pokémon data over SpotPass once the AR Marker is for yet another Legendary Flying-type Pokémon!

Unleash the Rainbow

Us...
же я

Colors! 30 for Nintendo

308letsyou paint like
you've never painted before.
PREVIOUSLYA HIT ОП the iPhone viewable in stereoscopic 3D. Other
and iPod touch, Colors! 3D isa features include the ability for
full-featured painting program up to four players to collaborate
that's headed to the Nintendo 3DS on a painting, and the ability to
via the Nintendo eShop. As you'd replay the creative process so
expect from a contemporary art you can improve your painting
program, you can choose your technique. Once you've created
brush style and size, select from your masterpiece, you'llbe able to
thousands of colors, and use an upload it to a public gallery or save
assortment of helpful tools, such it as a photo so you can share it
as an eyedropper. But unlike with friends. Published and devel-
other programs of this type—or oped by Collecting Smiles (and
previous releases of Colors!—the codeveloped by Griptonite Games),
N3DS version allows you to create Colors! 3D should be available in
multilayered paintings that are October. —CHRIS H.

SEPTEMBER 2011 ?1
 Ши DOWNLOAD

ПІПТЕПОО 305 DOWNLOAD

Our ‘solemniiptiom e?
Will autumn жаке the place
of spring?

FINALFANTASY T
ATFORM: SUPER NES ORIGIN РАЗЫ SQUARE ENIX
RE RPG PAL БОЗ POINTS,

Final Fantasy ПІ the era's charm and relatively few of

стара (which is now its frustrations.
С Y better known as Final Fantasy III broke from the
_ Final FantasyVI)is series’s traditional-fantasy roots
3 one ofthe all-time to introduce a steampunk-inspired
уч great RPGs. It built world in which technology has mostly
upon the storytelling advancements replaced magic. You play as the mem-
of Final Fantasy IV and the gameplay ers of a rebel group trying to revive
advancements of Final Fantasy V to magic in order to repel a conquest-
make for Square's most ambitious and ипегу empire. The 14 heroes of your
successful game of the Super NES era. arty (still a record number for the
Seventeen years later the game holds series) are a charming bunch of rogues
up remarkably well, maintaining all of and misfits that mark a welcome break
rom
s the usual starry-eyed hero arche-
types. The story was famous in its day
or heart-tugging twists, but seems a and exploration that hadn't been in Fantasy fans should experience this
it quaint now; |doubt many modern the series before and, sadly, hasn’t pivotal title, and players who already
gamers will tear up at the ending the appeared since. have may be surprised to discover that
way players did in the innocent days of The dot-pixel graphics of ЕРИ are the game is still every bit as fun as
1994. But there's still a lot to admire among the finest ever made for the they remember.
about the way the game tells its story Super NES, and they still hold a great
hrough interactive set pieces rather deal of charm. Similarly, the com-
than passive event scenes. position of the soundtrack stands as
Mechanically, FFIII offersaset of some of composer Nobuo Uematsu's
unique abilities for each cast mem- finest work. However, there are a few
ber in place of an all-encompassing aspects of the game that do seem out
mechanic like ajob system. While of step with modern sensibilities: the
this initially makes the game feel a voice samples in the game's famous
bit simpler than its predecessor, the opera scene sound painfully dated,
size of the character roster keeps the the random encounters trigger a bit
battle system fresh by ensuring that too frequently, the save points can be
players have a rotating assortment of spaced frustratingly far apart, and at
interesting options at their fingertips. times the game fails to make your next
The game also broke new ground for objective sufficiently clear.
the series by following a story-driven Nevertheless, FFIII is easily one the
first half with a wide-open second most playable and enjoyable RPGs in
half that offers a level of freedom the Virtual Console library. All Final

22 NINTENDO POWER
 HEROES OF

‘© 2002 MASASHI KISHIMOTO /2007 SHIPPUDEN ©NMP 2008

ANIME
COMING TO DVD AND BLU-RAY 58 и
ОСТОВЕК 2011
For more Heroes of Anime,
www.shonenjump.com mee — Visitwww.viz.com/2uyears
 DOWNLOAD

EVALUATION STATION ШИШЯЕЕ

BIG TOWN
TE BROTHERS SUPER E.D.F.: EARTH SHOOT QUT
N SUPER NES
RELE 1993
DEFENSE FORCE JBLISHER: KORNER
ENTERTAINMENT
JALECO GENRE: PUZZLE
RICE: 800 POINTS
RE: ACTION
800 POINTS
МТ
SHOOTER
DE: 800 POINTS Big Town Shoot Out is a lot
Like its predecessor, Rival
Turfl, Brawl Brothers is a Unrelated to the similarly 3D PIXEL RACING like an updated version of
Hogan's Alley, but with a
decent—but not great—side- named Xbox 360 titles, Super R: MICROFORUM RACING 500 POINTS distinct Western flavor. The
scrolling beat-’em-up. This E.D.F. is a high-intensity game involves taking aim with
Judged on appearance alone, 3D Pixel Racing is fantastic. Its visu-
game offers co-op action and side-scrolling shooter that your Wii Remote (and option-
al style brings retro-inspired blocky graphics into the 3D realm
five playable characters, but offers some unique twists on al Zapper) to shoot at cutout-
with charming results. It's in the actual gameplay that things
the suspect collision detection the genre, such as the ability styled bandits (while avoiding
start to take a turn for the "Hmmm..." Pixel Racing's biggest
(which leads to you taking a to level up and the option innocents), moving bull's-
problem is its overly sensitive motion controls, which will have
lot of cheap hits) drags down to change the formation of eyes, falling hats, bottles in
most players wildly skidding across the track with the slightest
the experience. Compared your weapon pods on the fly. a saloon, and more, across
twitch. Thanks to the aggressive CPU Al, one mistake is enough
to the top classic titles in the When it comes to the actual a variety of settings. That's
to dump you into last place for the remainder of the race. The
genre, Brawl Brothers also gameplay, though, the action all well and good until you
course boundaries are also laughably tiny. Veer even slightly into
suffers from so-so visuals and is somewhat typical, and the encounter agame-breaking
the grass, and the game jarringly blinks your car out of existence
a limited repertoire of moves. steep difficulty (continues are hangup: at times the reticle
before dropping it back on the road. With a bit of tweaking this
—CHRIS H. quite limited) may turn off unavoidably sticks, leading to
title could be great, but as is it's just decent. pit т.
some players. —cHRIS н. failure. рдм o.
Grumble Grumble

OSiWARE OSiWARE

aisanana, ала,

Z BOBBY CARROT BURN THE ROPE

Z^ FOREVER JB ЧЕР: BIG BLUE BUBBLE FARM FRENZY
iE: PUZZLE
ER: FOG ENTERTAINMENT PUBLISHER: ALAWAR
1,000 POINTS
UZZLE ENTERTAINMENT
E: 800 POINTS GENRE: ALTERNATIVE
Burn the Rope's premise is PRICE: 500 POINTS; $4.99

The absurdly named Bobby no doubt interesting; players

arm Frenzy offers manic
Carrot Forever offers players ignite shapes "drawn" in
time management with a
grid-based collection puzzles rope, then rotate the canvas
arnyard theme. The cycle of
of the usual sort; you'll inter-
act with all manner of switch-
as necessary-in real time—to
ensure the entire rope (and ANTIPOLE lay requires planting grass
0 feed various animals, col-
esand modes of transporta- anything on it) is consumed PUBLISHER: SATURNINE GAMES GENRE: ACTION PRICE: 500 POINTS; $4.99
Јес пе the edible byproducts
tion to negotiate obstacles on in flames. The trick lies in
Hundreds of games let you jump your way past pits of spikes, but of said animals, process-
your way to collecting carrots ensuring the flames always
Antipole gives you another option: temporarily invert gravity ing these byproducts into
Scattered over the puzzle burn upward. Unfortunately,
so you can walk on the ceiling or float through the airtobypass foodstuffs, then selling these
"board." A basic adventure at this price point Big Blue
such obstacles. It's a fantastic play mechanic that can be used in stuffs in the big city to accu-
framework (providing con- Bubble sets very high expec-
numerous clever ways, such as sending missiles back at enemies mulate cash that can be used
text), high creativity quotient, tations, and the evolution of
and leading foes to their doom. Combined with genre staples like to maintain and upgrade your
and admirable complexity/ gameplay here (e.g., adding
moving platforms and switch puzzles, you get a very compelling facilities. Like most games
difficulty give this puzzler just bugs and color-coded flames/
and fun game. The game also has a smooth difficulty curve and of this type, it’s an adequate
enough “oomph” to overcome ropes) fails to keep the con-
plenty of replay value. My one complaint is that you often can't ime sink, but nothing about
its run-of-the-mill trappings. cept fresh. —PATRICK с.
see what's coming next, which frequently requires you to take a he experience makes it a
—PATRICK C.
literal leap of faithintothe unknown. —curis н. must-play. -РАТ ИСК C.

24 NINTENDO POWER
 DOWNLOAD

XY]
OSiWARE OSiWARE OSiWARE
70:070665210,

= MOTO EXTREME
PUBLISHER: CHILLINGO
GENRE: PLATFORMER
PRICE: 800 POINTS; $7.99

мах
As you might expect, Moto
m eXtreme is a game about
60 SERIES: PORTABL KUNG FU DRAGON riding motocross bikes. But
SHRINE WARS
PUBLISHER: GAMEBRIDGE
PUBLISHER: AGETEC
GENRE: PLATFORMER
THE LOST TOWN— THE DUST by "riding," Imean driving up
walls and platforming your
GENRE: ACTION PRICE: 200 POINTS; $1.99 PUBLISHER: CIRCLE ENTERTAINMENT GENRE: STRATEGY way through 2D obstacle
PRICE: 200 POINTS; $1.99 PRICE: 500 POINTS; $4.99
courses. Your bike's bouncy
If you think Kung Fu Dragon
quality, wonky physics, and
This game turns the ancient features martial-arts action, Deftly blending strategy and RPG elements, The Lost Town casts
low gravity make most levels
Japanese tradition of carrying think again. Despite what the players as the defender ofacamp beset by monsters. Gameplay
fun, but navigating cramped
a mikoshi (a portable shrine) title implies, this game is all cycles between day and night; by day, you scour the surrounding
spots is overly tedious—espe-
into a wacky racing game. about hardcore vertical plat- town for loot, monsters in need of slaying, and survivors. You
cially when the bike will often
Launching your shrine-bear- forming. As a simple jumping also prepare for nightfall by improving defenses, laying traps,
glitch itself into the environ-
ers to attack your rivals and game Kung Fu Dragon isn't upgrading weapons, and hiring mercenaries. And what happens
ment. Even with glitches
collecting fallenenemy bear- bad, but it is very basic (and by night? An assault on camp by an unthinking beastly horde, of
aside, an $8 price tag seems a
ers adds an element of tech- sometimes frustrating). Good course. While the graphics are uninspired and the pathfinding
tad steep for this game.
nique and results in plenty of thing it's available for a bar- suspect, the winning premise, character-building, and addictive
—CODY M.
chaotic fun. —рни т. gain price. —cHRIS н. escalation are too alluring to ignore. patrick с.

DSiWARE ОБІШАВЕ maps VIRTUAL CONSOLE nabs VIRTUAL CONSOLE maps VIRTUAL CONSOLE
кн 3. 3 Н

+;
ROLLER ANGELS TROLLBOARDER эТойығу

PUBLISHER: AGETEC PUBLISHER: ENJOY GAMING BASEBALL FORTIFIED ZONE GAME 8 WATCH
GENRE: PLATFORMER
PRICE: 500 POINTS; $4.99
GENRE: RACING
PRICE: 200 POINTS; $1.99
PLATFORM: GAME BOY PLATFORM: GAME BOY GALLERY
ORIGINALLY RELEASED: 1989 ORIGINALLY RELEASED: 1991
PLATFORM: GAME BOY
PUBLISHER: NINTENDO PUBLISHER: JALECO
ORIGINALLY RELEASED: 1897
If you combined the skate- The only good part о GENRE: SPORTS GENRE: ACTION
PUBLISHER: NINTENDO
PRICE: $2.99 PRICE: $3.99
and-tag action of Sega’s cult Trollboarder is its graph- GENRE: ACTION.
PRICE: $2.99
classic Jet Grind Radio with a ics, which are colorful and
If you're old enough to have Part shooter and part top-
2D platformer and mixed in smooth. The rest is all
played '805-ега baseball down military adventure, It's nice to have four of
an abundance ofsickening downhill. You're tasked with
games, you know how charm- Fortified Zone was a rather Nintendo's classic Game &
cuteness, you'd likely get a repeating thesame three
ingly similar they were; unique portable game for its Watch games to play on the
result a lot like Roller Angels. missions over and overto
decide whether to steal, take time. The methodical pace 80, but the real draw of this
The problem, however, is that earn gold. The gameplay is as
aswing, and...that's about it! and emphasis on exploration collection is the updates to
thegame takes a long time straightforward as it comes-
Baseball is a particularly rudi- (there are plenty of keys and he LCD originals. The addi-
to get interesting. The early the enemies never change,
mentary riff on the formula Switches to find) make the ion of Mario and friends pro-
levels are easy to the point and there's very little course
(due to a lack of color and a title feel a bit like a watered- vides some visual flair, and
of being boring, but the later variety. There is no conse-
crawling pace, specifically), so down version of Metal Gear. he minor gameplay tweaks
ones-which throw a lot at you quence forfailure, the hit
those looking for a nostalgic Fortified Zone isn't especially add modern sensibilities to
at once-are pretty neat. Is it detection is inconsistent, the
return to the pre-sim days of challenging and it is fairly the action. Unlockable histori-
worth the effort to get to the sound effects are annoying,
sports gaming should pause brief, but it's certainly worth cal galleries offer incentiveto
good stuff, though? Probably and the story is nonexistent.
if they don’t yearn for such checking out for the low price. op your high scores.
not. —cHRIS H. —KENNY M.
spartan times. —PATRICK C. —CHRIS H. —PHIL T.

Grumble Grumble Hmmm...

SEPTEMBER 2011 25
 DOWNLOAD

maps VIRTUAL CONSOLE П305 VIRTUAL CONSOLE ALSO AVAILABLE

ІК: 18,79 Бу веч

Music enthusiasts might

want to consider WiiWare
title Just Jam (800 Points).
PLATFORM: GAME BOY
ORIGINALLY RELEASED: 1990 Though not a game, the
PUBLISHER: NINTENDO surprisingly complex pro-
GENRE: PUZZLE
PRICE: $2.99 gram allows you to mix and
modify tunes in a variety of
Based on a vintage arcade musical genres.... If you'd
50: 8030 title, Qix is a game in which prefer to keep things simple,
е СОО
Kirev OOOD • охоа Kmer OOOOOO @хпа you attempt to cordon off sec- you can check out DSiWare
tions of the play field without games Extreme Hangman
KIRBY'S DREAM LAND crashing into enemies. It's fun 2 (200 Points/$1.99) or
PLATFORM:
GAME BOY ORIGINALLY RELEASED: 1992 PUBLISHER: NINTENDO GENRE: PLATFORMER PRICE: $3.99 for a while, but since the main Boardwalk Ball Toss (200
foe-the titular Qix-moves Points/$1.99), which provide
As much of a Kirby fan as |am, | ago; this is one of the better can't steal enemies' abilities, digital versions of classic
about randomly, luck plays
must admit that I never played Game Boy titles I've played. It which makes it a more chal- diversions... Want to learn
a huge part in your success.
Kirby's Dream Land when itwas does take some getting used lenging game. Still, that doesn't
The Virtual Console's Restore about the microscopic
originally released on Game to ifyou've played only newer mean Kirby's Dream Land is world? Then try educational
Point feature helps alleviate
Boy. After having experienced Kirby adventures, however. hard-this title is easily beaten DSiWare title Afterzoom
some frustration, but the
the game on Nintendo 305,1 The most significant difference in underanhour. Fortunately,
game starts feeling dry after a (500 Points/$4.99).... If
realize just how much |was between this installment and its finishing itonce unlocks a high- you're into fashion more
few stages. —cHRIS н.
missing out on all those years successors is the fact that Kirby er difficulty level. sustin c.
than science, then Маке Up
& Style (500 Points/$4.99)
for DSiWare might be
up your alley... Jewel
1305 30 CLASSICS maps DOWNLOAD
Keepers: Easter Island
г
(500 Points/$4.99) is now
on DSiWare. The WiiWare
version scored a “Hmmm...”
afew issues back... Puzzle
Fever (500 Points/$4.99)
for DSiWare will put your
shape-fitting skills to the
test... Ifyou know what
euchre is,you'll be glad
to know there's now a
DSiWare version of itcalled

3D CLASSICS: XEVIOUS
PLATFORM: NES ORIGINALLY RELEASED: 1988 PUBLISHER: NAMCO BANDAI
LET'S GOLF 3D
PUBLISHER: GAMELOFT GENRE: SPORTS PRICE: 56.98
Hearts Spades Euchre (500
Points/$4.99).... Though pre-
vious installments in their
GENRE: SHOOTER PRICE: $5.99 respective series have been
Gameloft is known for, um, borrowingideas from other games, less than stellar, hopefully
Back іп the "805, Namco's Xevious improved on the standard and the Mario Golf/We Love Golf!-esque Let's Golf 3D is no dif- DSiWare games Just Sing!
shooter by bringing new depth to the gameplay. Not only could ferent. Well, it has 3D visuals, so that's something-even if its 3D
805 (500 Points/$4.99),
players attack enemies in the air, but they also had to drop bombs effect is a feature that |personally found to be more distracting
My Australian Farm
on ground-based targets. This dual-plane setup made the arcade than cool in this case. Despite the fact that Let's Golf 3D may not
(200 Points/$1.99), and
classic a perfect candidate to receive an upgrade on the Nintendo be original, however, it’s not like you can find authentic Mario
Oscar's World Tour (500
3DS. And yes, 3D Classics: Xevious looks fantastic with the addi- Golf-style experiences on Nintendo 3DS atthis moment. And this
Points/$4.99) will outclass
tion of that third dimension. Seeing the ground move well below title does a very good job of replicating much of what made the
their predecessors.
your fighter is a simple yet effective graphical enhancement. The Camelot-developed golf games so compelling in the first place:
fast-paced action still holds up, too. Maintaining control over both the controls are easy to learn and the gameplay is simple yet
play fields at once is an enjoyable challenge. The droning, repeti- rewarding. Considering this title’s relatively low price, it would
tive soundtrack may wear on those not raised in the early days of be foolish to skip over Let’s Golf 3D just because it’s not entirely
the arcade, but itstill has a retro charm about it. pri т. fresh. ausriN с.

26 NINTENDO POWER
 ONTOOTH

| Plenty of other ocarina styles,

songbooks, holsters, carrying cases,
video tutorials and demos at
www.songbirdocarina.com

Sweet Potato Ocarina

Order via our Website

or call Toll Free:
@ 1-866-899-4046

$3
-05 Angeles, dES

n
» ы
PROFESSOR LAYTON
AND THE LASTSPECTER
| опа!
НБУ
AT THE END Of last year's Professor Layton and
the Unwound Future, puzzle enthusiast Profes-
sor Hershel Layton bid a tearful farewell to his
young apprentice, Luke. In Professor Layton
and the Last Specter, players will get to visit
the past and discover just how the two became
such close friends to begin with.
It all starts when the professor receives a
letter from an old friend, Clark Triton. Formerly So you see puzzles
a university classmate of Professor Layton's, others only see household obJects!
Clark is now the mayor of the small countryside
village of Misthallery, a town that is known not #
only for its thick fog, but also for the fact that
the remains of an ancient city were recently interact—but in true series fashion, if you really to use а few brain cells. Want the directions
discovered nearby. Clark’s letter states that a wanna get anything done, you’re gonna need to Clark’s house? You'll have to solve a puzzle.
mysterious, giant, mist-shrouded specter has Need to cross a rope bridge? Time for another
been terrorizing the citizens and destroying puzzle. Everywhere you go, you’ll encounter
#3900 Bucky's Train
their homes, and asks Layton for help with characters who need a puzzle solved, or you'll
the matter. With no time to see an ordinary object that prompts the profes-
waste, Layton hops into his sor or Emmy to recall a favorite brain-teaser.
[Sm
famed Laytonmobile, and—ac- Of course, solving the myriad head-scratch-
companied by his newly hired ers is what makes the Layton games so fun,
assistant, Emmy Altava— and there’s no lack of variety. The challenges
zips off to Misthallery to span the gamut from logic to math to wordplay
see what the commotion ШІШІШІШІШІШІШІШІ to spatial reasoning to jigsaw-style puzzles to
is all about. riddles and beyond. In one puzzle, you may
What the professor
encounters next should
be familiar to anyone
who’s played a Professor
Layton game before: a
strange location full of
places to explore, objects
to investigate, quirky
characters to talk to,
mysteries to unravel,
and puzzles to solve.
Navigating the town is sheer
simplicity—like in previous
Layton games, you need
[Above] Like previous installments of
only tap the touch
the series, Professor Layton and the Last
screento move, talk, OF w `w m=
Specter features a number of minigames. Еді
Problem is
n the way!

rom the h
to the m.
the key?

"If the specter is ever used for

пари ге motives, it s all unleash
its wrath upon humanity."

SEPTEMBER 2011 29
 PREVIEWS

[Below] Where do all these pieces go? It’s up to

1 Professor Layton to sort it all out.
i
d у (ШЕТЕН

more than 100 hours of content. After cus-

tomizing your character (including the gender,
hairstyle, facial expression, etc.), you'll get
to explore the retro-inspired 2D burg of Little
London to amass wealth and happiness by
taking on odd jobs (such as janitorial work)
and completing requests. You'll get to obtain
have to assemble a sequence of numbers new outfits, decorate your apartment, and
according to a handful of clues, whereas interact with almost every character from
another may require you to look at a drawing past Professor Layton games, from Inspector
to find the images of hidden cats, and another Chelmey to Granny Riddleton. Given that this
may necessitate fitting clusters of items into bonus mode features more content than some
a suitcase. And those infamous Layton block- entire standalone games, it's safe to say that
pushing puzzles (in which you must maneuver Мо. Professor Layton and the Last Specter will be
tightly packed blocks so you can get an object the series’s deepest and most expansive out-
toa certain location) are back, too. ing yet. —cHRIS H.
The biggest puzzle, however, is undoubt-
edly the strange happenings around town. As PUBLISHER: NINTEND
the smashed houses you encounter prove, the London Life, this mode is an expansive RPG DEVELOPER:
specter is no figment of the imagination, but reminiscent of Animal Crossing that offers RELEASE:
why is it attacking, and why does a flute play
prior to the assault? Upon reaching Clark’s AUG 7 Sasha Park
house, the answers don’t become any clearer.
However, the visit presents Layton with the
opportunity to meet Clark’s rather withdrawn
son, Luke—the very same Luke that eventually
becomes Layton’s apprentice. Somehow, Luke
is able to predict when and where the specter
will attack—an ability that enables the profes-
sor to see the entity firsthand when it strikes
the northern part of town that night—but even
he doesn’t know from where it’s come. Could
it be the specter of legend, returned to de-
stroy everything in its path, or is there a more
logical explanation?
Fortunately, if pursuing the truth gets to
be too overwhelming, there are other ways
to spend your time. Vigorous investigation
of your surroundings allows you to discover
hidden artifacts, and like in previous Layton
titles, there is a handful of minigames to
partake in. A toy-train minigame, for example,
challenges you to guide your train to every
station on a map without running out of fuel,
while a fish-themed minigame allows you to
guide a finned friend to collect coins.
The biggest diversion of all, however, is Hahh. . . hahh. . „to the
completely separate from the game’s main first floor. fou want to buy sonething?
ЖС No
story mode. Known as Professor Layton’s

30 NINTENDO POWER
 PREVIEWS

TETRIS AND PORTABLE Nintendo steps so а small character can Tetromino-shaped holes, and in up to eight
systems have gone hand in hand reach the top of a tower), Stage the AR modes (AR Marathon and players, this
since the classic Russian falling- Racer (maneuver blocks through AR Climber), you get to merge version of
block puzzler was bundled with amaze), Shadow Wide (place falling-block fun with your real- Tetris should
the original Game Boy more than blocks to fill out a silhouette), world surroundings. have something for everybody.
20 years ago. That relationship and Bombliss Plus (clear lines With 20 modes in total, Mii —CHRIS H.
will soon continue when the lat- with explosive Bomb Pieces). integration, and support for
est game in the franchise—sim- But it’s the new modes that PUBLISHER: 7
ply titled Tetris—arrives on the help this version of Tetris stand Nans DEVELOPER:
Nintendo 3DS handheld. out. Fever mode challenges you RELEASE:
Naturally, this 3D-enhanced with а 60-second time limit and
version of Tetris features plenty asmall play field, and your goal
of familiar, traditional modes, is to rack up as large a score as
such as Marathon mode (with you can while taking advantage
an endless option), Sprint mode of “color challenge” bonuses
(in which you must clear 40 and six types of
lines as quickly as possible), items. Survival
and versus battles (against mode features a
local or online hu- similarly small play
man opponents, or vw wA ці field, but instead of
against CPU foes). atime limit, you'll
The game also of- have to contend with lines
fers several of the that appear from below to
more popular party modes that constantly push your blocks up-
have appeared in titles like Tet- ward. Other modes take special
ris Party Deluxe, including Tower advantage of the hardware’s
Climber capabilities: in Fit mode you
(use blocks look down on а 3D field and
to create
p
shoot blocks into a series of

вертемвен вом 81
УУ
2

WE'VE GOT SOME good news and some bad oddball cast is pretty darned entertaining. always there to empathize with the player.
news, RPG fans. Let’s get the bad news out Whereas most Japanese RPGs feature heroes Of course, the Tales franchise is perhaps
of the way up front. Tales of the Abyss has who cheerfully encourage each other at every best regarded for its action-heavy battle
been delayed. Rather than hitting this fall as step, this not-so-merry band of travelers en- system that has as much in common with hack-
was previously announced, it’s now slated to gages in frequent mockery and bickering. The and-slash games as it does with traditional
arrive some time in the first quarter of 2012. result is a biting sense of humor that’s atypical RPGs. Abyss adds full 3D movement to the mix,
The good news: after playing through the first of the genre, and it’s delivered through a strong as well as a host of new strategic options. You
few hours of the game, we're confident it'll be localization and (mostly) solid voice work. That might be able to get by with simple button-
worth the wait. plays well against a fairly serious plot, which mashing in the early going, but as your foes
Originally released as a PlayStation 2 has its roots in a fascinating creation myth and grow stronger, you’ll need to work in tandem
title, Abyss remains a favorite among fans of with your CPU allies and pay as much attention

CLE
P
ə
offers loads of political intrigue. Things can get
матсо"5 long-running Tales series. Though I'm a bit confusing when characters start rattling to defense as you do offense. Despite first
а newcomer to this particular installment, I off bizarre names and hard-to-follow jargon, appearing on PS2 almost five years ago, this
can already see why. For starters, the game's but Luke, the game’s amusingly clueless lead, is battle system is still more engaging than those

32 NINTENDO POWER
 PREVIEWS

of most RPGs released in the interim. That said,

I'm also a big proponent of how the series lets
you see enemies coming beforehand so you can
try to avoid conflict altogether when you so
desire. (Random battles need to go the way of
the dodo.)
Even outside of combat, the dungeons in
Abyss do a nice job of keeping the player en-
gaged. Most are filled with puzzles that revolve
around the abilities of your diminutive sidekick,
Mieu. The little guy can spew fireballs when
you first meet him, and he picks up additional when you enter a building or move to a new
skills—like limited flight—over the course of area. The frame rate is noticeably smoother, as
your journey. The puzzles never approach the well, especially on the world map. Then there's
complexity of, say, The Legend of Zelda’s, but the addition of stereoscopic 3D, which not only
they break up the walk-fight-walk monotony adds some visual punch, but also makes it
that drags down many RPGs. Mieu is also easier to judge spacing in combat. Though dedi-
fodder for some great slapstick comedy. While cated fans may lament the continued lack of
everyone else fawns over his stereotypical voice during the optional conversation “skits,”
cuteness, Luke is rightfully annoyed by it and there's little doubt that this will prove the
abuses the squeaky (yet surprisingly resilient) definitive English version of Tales of the Abyss.
critter on a regular basis. That could make it one of the best reasons to
In terms of content, this version of Abyss own a Nintendo 3DS next winter. As much as
doesn’t offer anything new over the original. we'd love to have the final game sooner, good
It does make some welcome improvements, things come to those who wait. —5ТЕМЕ Т.
however. First and foremost, the lengthy load
times that plagued the PS2 disc are no longer PUBLISHER: N
a concern. Battles take only a second or two to МВ DEVELOPER
get started, and there’s no delay whatsoever RELEASE: WINTER 2012

self-absorbed jerksto but Luke is

pretty good мії a blade. And isn’t that really what matter:

зевтемвев гот 93
 PREVIEWS

Whether the bugs are small [left]

or huge [below], your goal is the
same: annihilate them all!

IT’S OBVIOUS THAT the giant, insects and arachnids you'll have
segmented, multilegged centipede to defeat. —CHRIS н.
is the main baddie of Centipede:
Infestation, but it’s far from the PUBLISHER: AT
only creepy-crawly critter that LE DEVELOPER:
you'll encounter in this follow-up RB
to the 1980 arcade hit. Sure, you'll RELEASE: Д
be armed to the teeth with eight
types of upgradeable weapons (in-
АА ос
2/4 ШАШ
cluding a flamethrower, a missile
launcher, an electricity gun, anda
laser) and you might have a buddy
along for some co-op action, but
you'll still have to go head to head
with overwhelming swarms of
massive, mutated garden pests.
Here's a look at some of the vile

These cyclopean freaks look pretty nasty, but, like real ants, Some spiders in Centipede: Infestation help you by dropping
they'll sometimes just follow their trail and ignore you. When weapons. The Bomb Spider, on the other hand, just charges
defeated, they may produce machine-gun spores, which will at you and explodes if it gets close enough. Fortunately, if
aid you in battle. you defeat it, its explosion will likely destroy other enemies
instead.

34 мтемоо power
 PREVIEWS

D | 1A n
BURROW BUG CATERPILLAR
Burrow Bugs are tricky creatures that tunnels into the earth The caterpillar is slow, but it’s heavily armored and it spits
and attack you from below. By using your stomp move, you toxic goo. If you don't destroy it, it'll create an indestructible
can make these bugs emerge and blow ’em away before cocoon and metamorphose into a web-shooting moth.
they cause any damage. They may drop flame spores when
defeated.

LEAPBUG
LAD DI
| LIGHTNING BUG
As its name implies, the Leap Bug moves by jumping at you. Known for SPEI inES groups, these flying foes pos-
When in the air, this critter is almost impossible to hit. sess electrical attacks. They sometimes drop electric spores
upon defeat.

TURR ICT DELI IF ~ WASP

NCI ШІТІ ІДо
Possessing an EETLE shell, this bug boasts a high level of Just like real wasps, these guys have a nasty sting. They'll
defense. It'll attempt to find a good position on the battle- attack in swarms and attempt to stab you. When you defeat
field, then spread its wings and blast you with projectile one, it may leave behind a laser spore.
attacks.

зертємвєн гот 90
 [Left] There's nothing quite е patrolling the seas
and fighting
gargantuan monsters from atop your golei

RUNE FACTORY:
TIDES OF DESTINY
Beyond distance. Beyond time. Beyond gender?
THINK YOUR SOCIAL life is complicated? and magic rods), you'll fight a
Chances are you've got nothing on Aden, the vast assortment of monsters
hero of Natsume's Rune Factory: Tides of and endeavor to destroy the
Destiny. Somehow the soul of his best friend, beasts’ spawn points. (Al-
а girl named Sonja, has become trapped in his ternatively, you can befriend
body-the two are quite literally inseparable. creatures by using a magic
Talk about awkward. To make matters worse, brush.) There's loads of loot to
the same mysterious incident that merged the be had, as well, which you can
two youths also sent them, apparently, several bring back to Fenith Island and
hundred years into the future. We're not talk- use as materials for crafting
ing spaceships and flying cars, but they’re stat-boosting accessories
definitely no longer on the Fenith Island they or as ingredients for cooking.
knew; the geography and the populace have Some islands even have spots
changed completely. for farming; by planting crops
However, not all of Aden’s luck is bad. One and assigning befriended mon-
of the first things he does (or does Sonja make sters to tend to them, you can
him do it?) while getting accustomed to his establish your own bustling
new temporal home is to plant a strange glow- produce business.
ing seed in his backyard. The next morning the Of course, all the mon-
seed has sprouted, giving birth to a towering ster-slaying and golem-
plant golem that’s the size of a skyscraper! riding in the world probably
Recognizing Aden as its master, the golem— won't help Aden get Sonja’s soul
named Ymir—will obey Aden’s every command. out of his body—or will it?
The ability to control the gargantuan creature You'll have to play the
is one of Tides of Destiny’s core play mechan- game when it hits
ics; the golem will happily transport you across this fall to find
the vast ocean, allowing you to investigate out. —CHRIS H.
suspicious areas and even raise entire islands
from the watery depths. PUBLISHER:
On the islands, the action gets up close Wil NATSUME
and personal. Using five types of weapons DEVELOPER: NEVERLAND
(dual blades, longswords, spears, katanas, RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 2011

36 NINTENDO POWER
 ít ТҮ
HOW MANY WHICH NINTENDO
COLORS DOES YOSHI” ae
COME IN? ї
HOW MANY TIMES HAS
үт BOWSER KIDNAPPED Yr
WHOHASASTARSHIP- PRINCESS PEACH"? GOOMBAS:
PILOTING PIG AS AN MUSHROOMS OR
ARCHENEMY? CHESTNUTS?

WHY DOES MARIO

WEAR GLOVES? 5
WHY IS MEGA
MAN BLUE? YY
YY WHY DOES FOX
WHICH LEGEND OF ZELDA McCLOUD WEAR 1Y
GAME DID ZELDA" NOT ARED SCARF? WHAT'S UP
APPEAR IN? WITH TINGLE?
tr 1Y
WHAT DOES THE WA
cme IN WALUIGI MEAN?
WEIGHT?
 РЕТ 20МВІЕЅ “>
After suffering through ап undead apocalypse, the
Citizens of the Pet Zombies universe have decided
to make the best of it by turning former man into
man's best friend. First you choose a stereotyped
zombie that best matches your interests (jock, nerd,
clown, granny, etc.), pick a name and some toys, and—
presto!—you've got your very own undead companion
to care for. Think Nintendogs, but with zombies and
a comical overtone. Contrary to any fears you might
have about adopting the walking dead, however, your
new pal won't turn on you so long as you provide
a steady supply of brains and affection, as well as a
healthy helping of tough love (or as the game calls it, [Below] Don't feel bad about throwing things
at your zombies. They need discipline!
torture). You can also play games with your zombie, Р. "took at the badgesyou өтей 5
such as launching it in a giant slingshot much akin to аре
” 2 “ Е =
Tn 2 2
the one in the Angry Birds games. —copy M.

PUBLISHER: МАЈЕЅС! Quis 31».

ЇШ& pvc opp: AYABLE PRODUCTIONS - 2 <
RELEASE:

Following in the chomp-happy footsteps of its Wii cousin,

the handheld version of Pac-Man Party is a minigame-
centric board game starring one of pop culture's most
recognizable icons. The Story mode is all about protect-
inga top-secret cookie recipe from would-be thieves,
but face it-no one plays a party game for the plot;
they play for the fast-paced multiplayer chaos. Fifty
á = minigames are on offer for up to four players, pro-
[Below] That's a big plate of spagetti. viding a variety of challenges. For example, in Spa-
Good thing Pac-Man's always hungry. 1 ghetti Rollup you draw circles on the touch screen
to wrap pasta around a fork; in Pac-Man Hustle
you trace patterns to dance; in Doughnut Holes
you launch your character from a cannon to per-
forate breakfast pastries; and in Haunted Pumpkins
you blast enemies in a simple first-person shooter (which
looks fantastic in 3D). Though every player needs his own
game card to play the full multiplayer party mode, you can
compete against other players in minigames via single-
card download play or opt to battle CPU foes. —cHRIS H.

PUBLISHER: N
Nans DEVELOPE
RELEASE: W

38 NINTENDO POWER
NINTENDO GAMING

SUPER VOLUME DNE

е ЕШ
Available at newsstands, or order now а!
WWW. nintendonower. com/SPC
PREVIEWS

ALIENS: INFESTATION
There's nothing like agood old-fashioned bug hunt.
IN THE LATE ‘80s, the famous sci-fi author unfortunately, they have company. The player beyond it-form a big free-roaming world in
William Gibson wrote a script for Alien З that controls a four-man Colonial Marine squad sent the Metroid tradition, full of hidden areas to
never wound up getting filmed. You can find it to check out the situation, and that’s where explore. Players control one Marine—the point
on the Internet with a little careful searching, the action kicks off. There are human bad guys man, so to speak-at any given time, while the
and someone involved with the development to battle at first (from the “Union of Progres- other three wait in reserve. Save points scat-
of Aliens: Infestation apparently did, because sive Peoples,” one of Gibson’s cutting-room tered around the game world serve as hubs for
they used some of Gibson’s story ideas for the concepts), and then...well, guess. switching characters, as well as healing dam-
game. In other words, the development team is The Sulaco—and some other familiar places age, swapping weapons, and otherwise getting
hardcore. This game was made by people who ready to go kill more bugs.
are serious about some Aliens. They know how When a Marine dies in battle, he’s actually
to make a fine side-scrolling adventure, too— dead. Gone. Not coming back. Luckily, other
there’s a little Metroid here, a little Castleva- potential members of the squad have man-
nia, a little old-school Ninja Turtles. For a good aged to survive and hole up here and there.
time, just add acid-blooded bugs. Recruiting them fills the gaps and brings the
The story begins after Aliens ended, with team back to fighting strength. Of course, the
the troopship Sulaco adrift in space. A few best approach is to not get killed in the first
familiar human survivors are onboard, but

NOSICNAL но SIGNAL

Ee s
а um Не
|

Lm
 PREVIEWS

cot

a
—
5

Co
Жсc->
cc
ccc

place, and the Marines have plenty of ways to Corporal Hicks left his trusty shotgun lying
stay alive. There's the good old M41 pulse rifle, around. Tools such as a motion tracker anda
complete with underbarrel grenade launcher. miniwelder come in handy for getting around
and anticipating battles before they begin. The
inventory and map systems are easy to use,
thanks to a tabbed interface down on the DS
touch screen.
When it comes to presentation, for weapons
and everything else, WayForward has the
details down pat. Sound effects are faithfully
sampled from the movies—the pulse rifle’s
chatter, the alien screams, little music stings
when something awful jumps out of the dark.
Backgrounds like the distinctive Acheron
landscape and the resinous goo of bug-infested
tunnels give the world the right look. It’s not
just any sci-fi future; it’s the place and time we
know from the movies.
Keep in mind, though, that admiring the
scenery too much is an excellent way to die.
Our hands-on time suggests that Infesta-
tion's difficulty is just a bit unforgiving at the
moment. Nintendo DS veterans may welcome
the challenge, however, and it definitely isn’t
without some real rewards. одмор s.

n PUBLISHER: SEGA
| DEVELOPER: WAYFORWARD
RELEASE: OCTOBER 2011

вертемвен голл Al
 The pink puffball |
gets back to basics in
—and he's
brought friends!
BY CHRIS SLATE PUBLISHER: NINTENDO DEVELOPER: HAL LABORATORY RELEASE: FALL 2011

NINTENDO POWER
 DEI.

ic LS Мас!
рее!

e played of he
Vil W
V

The adventure begins when an throughout Dream Land, Kirby's rebuild the ship and be on his way. Country or Raisin Ruins. The worlds
affable alien named Magolor usual stomping grounds. Being the It's a fine setup for a classic-style are accessible via a map screen
crash-lands a ship called the Lor stand-up guy that he is, Kirby offers Kirby adventure, but there's a twist: similartothe ones used in most
Starcutteron the peaceful Pop Star to help the strange visitor retrieve this time Kirby doesn't have to Super Mario games. The map is also
planet and its pieces are sent flying his missing parts so that he can tackle his quest alone. Up to three where you can duck into the Lor
other players can join in the fun as Starcutter to chat with Magolor and
Kirby carbon copies or as series tackle the Copy Ability Challenge
regulars Meta Knight, Waddle Dee, Rooms (more on those later).
and King Dedede.
The game's many stages present BACK ТО BASICS
a wide variety of locales, such Stages are stuffed with vintage
as forests, beaches, caves, and side-scrolling Kirby action that
deserts, with action that takes harks back to the series’s roots.
place on land, underwater, in the Pits are jumped or floated over,
air, and even in other dimensions. hazards are avoided, and enemies
The levels are grouped into various are sucked into Kirby's gaping maw
worlds, each of which offers a ship so that he can swipe their powers.
part for beating a boss and has a The controls are also in line with
cute-and-cuddly name like Cookie series tradition, as the Wii Remote

SEPTEMBER 2011 43
 [Above] Super Abilities like Monster
controller is held in the sideways a whirlwind of leaves) and Whip
Flame can deal as much damage to the
NES-controller position that is all (which lets him lasso enemies). In
environment as it can to the bad guys.
the rage with recent Wii platform- our opinion, the best of the bunch
ers. There is a long list of new and is another new entry, Water, which
returning Copy Abilities for Kirby can be used to surf waves, pound Copy Ability comes with a unique set
to gain and use; we got to try 10 of foes with liquid pillars, and even of actions that pro players will learn
them, including the new abilities hold Kirby aloft with a continuous to master in many ways. As in the
Leaf (which can surround Kirby with expulsion of spit. Similarly, every Super Smash Bros. games, pressing
the attack button can produce dif-
ferent results depending on which
direction you're holding on the
Control Pad or whether you're dash-
ing, jumping, or standing idle. You
can possess only one Copy Ability
is protected by a piece of rope that
atatime, so there is a strategic ele-
only Cutter Kirby can slice.
ment to deciding which one to keep.
There are also Super Abilities,
For example, you don't want to be
which power up Kirby to the max
Stone Kirby when you come across
with the game's most devastating
a life-restoring Maxim Tomato that
attacks. Monster Flame, for exam-
ple, summons a giant fire monster
to burn a path of destruction across
the screen; Flare Beam generates
a ball of energy that can be moved
around the screen using the Control
While often at odds with his pink,
Pad; and Ultra Sword can obliterate
round rival, Meta Knight fights
enemies with wide razor-sharp
alongside Kirby this time, lending
swings. In addition to beating up
his unmatched aerial abilities and
on bad guys, Super Abilities can lay
crowd-clearing combat skills.
waste to objects that have stars on
them-such as tall trees that block
Kirby
ИШ your path—which can open up other
Only Kirby can inhale foes (and friends) areas for exploration.
which m eans that only he can us Copy Wolfing down bad guys and
Abilities and Super Abilities, making playing with their powers is really
theg n e's most versatile character | easy to learn, but longtime fans
will find plenty of depth to sink
their teeth into—especially when
those skills are put to the test in
While Wadd le Dee is usually the most basic
the Copy Ability Challenge Rooms.
bad guy in Kirby с ames (think of a Goomba,
(Once again, we'll get to those
only less effec ), the one in this game can
later-we're building suspense!)
fly and can attack froma distance.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land isn't
a cakewalk like Kirby's Epic Yarn, in
which it was literally impossible to
die, but the game is being designed
The self-pro xclaimed king of Dream Land so that both series veterans and
usually plays Bowser to Kirby's Mario, but this Kirby newcomers can enjoy it. The
time the power ut slow-moving monarch general difficulty is in line with
hoists his heavy hammer for the good guys. Kirby's Dream Land for Game Boy
and Kirby's Adventure for NES,
depending on the number of players
involved and how good they are.

M NINTENDO POWER
 LOO QOO!
Фо
CUBO

The real key to playing as

ateam is to make good use of
each character's unique skill
set. For example, if Kirby is low
on health and the nearest food
source is above and past some
enemies, it might be smartest
EVERY PUFFBALL NEEDS HIS PALS to send Waddle Dee to retrieve the
Kirby's Return to Dream Land has food for Kirby since he can attack
been crafted to make the most while flying, and is therefore at
of the multiplayer experience. lower risk. Waddle Dee also has
Cor Starcutter,
There aren't any puzzles or other great long-distance attacks, while Ө Enter
elements that require more King Dedede has a hammer that
than one person to get through, can destroy special bricks found in
but those who experiment with various levels. Meta Knight is good
different team strategies will find
that involving more players adds a
lot more depth. For example, you
might have one person block the
team from incoming attacks while
players with long-range attacks
fire back. In our play session, when
my team passed through an area
in which projectiles continuously
rained down, the best strategy was
for one of us to carry a protective
umbrella-type dome that shielded
the rest, who then had to defend
the dome-carrier as our group
moved forward in a tight formation.

When regular Copy Abilities aren't

enough to get the job done, Kirby can
sometimes turn to the less-common
Super Abilities. Whether swinging a
massive sword, steering a giant spark
of energy, or siccing a flaming dragon
on enemies, these uberattacks leave
death and destruction in their wake.

sepremeen гол
 Swallowing enemies allows Kirby to don some dapper
headpieces, and doing so copies the ability of whoever
heate. From Bomb Kirby to Whip Kirby, each variation
offers unique advantages and requires much practice
to master. Kirby can also gain powers by eating
special items, which continually respawn so that all
the Kirbys on the team can get a bite.

at clearing out multiple enemies characters can stack on top of each a good choice can clear out multiple whenever they like without halting
at once, and he’s lethal in the air. other. An expert Meta Knight player enemies. And if that isn’t enough the first player's progress. Player
Each character brings something can fly through large portions of team bonding for you, players who one is always pink Kirby, who must
different to the table, and clever some stages with the rest of the grab more health than they need be kept alive at all costs-if he dies,
adventuring parties will find ways team riding on top of him! Players can share the extra energy with So does everyone else. The camera
to maximize their talents for the can also attack as a team by stack- others in the most adorable way stays centered on him, and if any of
good of the group. ing up, holding the A Button, and possible: by giving hugs. his teammates are left behind off-
Lesser-skilled players can hop on then simultaneously releasing it. Friends can jump іп and out of the screen, they are immediately zapped
pro players’ backs to get through The player at the bottom of the pile game at will and change characters back to his side. Other players can
tougher areas-in fact, all four determines the type of attack; choose to be copycat Kirbys of a
different color-you can have four
creampuffs running around if you
want-but you can't double up on
the other characters; there can only
ever be one Meta Knight, Waddle
Dee, or King Dedede at a time.

THINK YOU'RE ONE TOUGH

CREAMPUFF?
Now let's finally talk about those
Copy Ability Challenge Rooms. This
is the kind of stuff that serious gam-
ers love to see: advanced tasks that

16 ммтемро ower
 FEARSOME FOURSOME

really test their mettle. There are understanding of each Copy Ability to use each move
seven of these rooms, and before апа а mastery of their many uses. to make the most
you can enter one, you must unlock Medals are awarded to those who of your time. Those
its door by finding and collecting do well; to earn a gold medal, you'll striving to be the best
the required number of Energy have to be fast, kill all of aroom's will learn just how
Spheres located throughout the enemies, avoid taking any damage, deep the gameplay
stages of the main game. To suc- and search every nook and cranny can get; that each
ceed at these challenges, players for coins. АП of this is possible only Copy Ability has dif-
need to demonstrate a deep once you figure out exactly when ferent collision, grab,
and pushback properties, similar to before | sat down to play Return
a fighting game. Even experienced to Dream Land, despite having
players should expect to put in а enjoyed some of the puffball’s pre-
good amount of time before acing vious adventures. But the game's
these tests. masterful implementation of multi-
player sucked me right in, and | now
EXPECT GREAT THINGS count myself among the die-hard
There is a lot in this game for Kirby crowd. Any game that can
longtime Kirby fans to love—includ- please such a wide array of players
ing additional modes and features has something special going for it,
that Nintendo is keeping secret for and | won't be surprised if Kirby's
now-and this title is also a great Return to Dream Land stands next
jumping-on point for those who to The Legend of Zelda: Skyward
aren't yet Kirby converts. Truth be Sword as one of 2011's very best Wii
told, | wasn't the biggest Kirby fan games at year end.

SEPTEMBER 2011 М
 he Nintendo 64

48 reno power
 Б" ^ т e Return #3 2

STEPPING INTO А
pyramids and desert-swept ruins. Gone were the
64 opened up limitless new posibilitie
goalposts and left-to-right level progression; this

POLYGONAL WORLD was a wide-open world of explorable environ-

ments and player-determined goals. And that This was the type of game that the
Admittedly, polygonal gaming existed before was only the beginning: The Legend of Zelda: Nintendo 64 had been built for, with hardware
the Nintendo 64, but jaw-dropping first-party Ocarina of Time upped the ante further with its that excelled at hosting large, stable 3D
releases like N64 launch title Super Mario 64 sweeping fields, lakes, and forests that were so environments. The system found plenty of
set anew standard. Previous polygonal games vast they were best traversed on horseback. success in other genres, but its free-roaming
were constrained to indoor hallways and Even traditional Zelda elements such as puzzles third-person action-adventure titles delivered
warehouses or restricted to small environments and boss battles benefited from the 3D worlds; the unique experiences that no other console
such as fighting rings or racetracks. But here was groundbreaking design dictated you had to take could match, and they swept industry award
Mario, scaling snowy peaks, swimming through the entire world into account, as clues (or foes) after industry award, year after year.
underwater shipwrecks, and soaring over could be hidden overhead or underfoot. Together, Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of
Time wrote the manual for designing 3D worlds,
inspiring other great games on the platform,
such as Banjo-Kazooie and Rayman 2, and
introducing innovations in gameplay and level
design that would survive for generations.

SEPTEMBER 2011 49
 Multiplayer gaming took on a whole new life thanks
r to chaotic four-players games like Super Smash Bros.
[left] and Mario Party 2 [below].

асна —E

LIFE OF THE PARTY Nó adnnproblems ih tАе

Take one glance at the Nintendo 64, and you variety of multiplayer titles ensured that
can tell that the system was created with multi- the console was a true party machine.
player action in mind. In a time when most video Arguably the most fondly remembered
game systems featured two controller ports, multiplayer game on the system is the
the N64 had four inputs staring you right in classic first-person shooter GoldenEye
the face. No extra accessories were required to 007. In addition to the excellent single-player more than 30 playable characters. It wasn't
accommodate a couch full of friends. Of course, campaign, GoldenEye featured a robust four- the only FPS to make a splash, though. Trigger-
those extra ports would be useless without a player mode with five different game types and happy players could also frag their friends in
Perfect Dark and Turok 2: Seeds of Evil. If you
preferred a more hands-on approach to fighting,
you were covered: the N64 was home to some
TIME 06 4 1 1 » 82 ofthe best wrestling games of all time. WWF No
Mercy is still considered by many to be the finest
representation of the sport, and multiplayer
matches could get incredibly heated. And let's
not forget that the Super Smash Bros. series
began here. With combatants as diverse as
t tyjette Sp з = TES Mario, Link, and Pikachu, how could it not be the
= perfect game for pummeling your pals?
Those who wanted their competition a little
less violent (but no less fierce) could always
party down with Mario and company in the
first three entries in the long-running Mario
Party series. Their minigame-fueled mayhem
helped define the modern video board game.
Mario continued to have great influence over
the N64 console’s multiplayer lineup, starring
in sports titles like Mario Tennis and Mario Golf,
and also in the seminal Mario Kart 64. Whether
players were racing or bursting balloons in
Battle mode, the split-screen action in Mario
Kart 64 guaranteed that all four of the system's
controller ports were always in use.

50 NINTENDO POWER
In a 3D world, if you turn Mario to the right, what
should happen? Should the camera turn to show
what Mario is now looking at? Or should it stay
locked, assuming that the player is turning to
avoid an enemy or move around an obstacle?
While the first generation of 3D consoles provided
new opportunities to game designers, it also
brought new headaches, and none were more
painful than the problem of what to do about the
camera in third-person action games.
With no past games upon which to base their or lock the camera at will, the team created the couldn't provide the accuracy necessary for
work, the team behind Super Mario 64 was first third-person action-adventure game in more-complicated interaction. That problem
forced to invent the free-moving camera from which players had the freedom to look in any was solved in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of
scratch. The game featured two camera modes, direction without having to devote their energy Time, which introduced the concept of Z-Button
one that automatically adjusted the camera to micromanaging the game's perspective. targeting—players could lock onto an enemy or
based on level geography and Mario’s previous Super Mario 64 was a major breakthrough in object in the environment, and then move in
actions, and one in which players could lock the its day, but it was only the first step in the long relation to it, allowing for accurate directional
camera behind Mario to make it directly follow evolution of camera controls. While adequate sword strikes and defensive rolls. As with the
his movements. By allowing players to quickly for exploration and simple actions like jumping camera innovations in Super Mario 64, this
switch between these modes, as well as move and rolling, the Super Mario 64 camera controls simple yet brilliant idea was quickly copied
by developers throughout the industry, and
remains ones of the most useful and intuitive
tools in a camera programmer's arsenal.
The attention that Nintendo lavished upon
the unsexy art of camera design allowed the
company to leapfrog their rivals in bringing new
styles of gameplay into the 3D generation.

The Z-Button targeting system in The Legend of

Zelda: Ocarina of Time may seem like a no-brainer
now, but it was a revelation in 1998.

вертемвен голл ВІ
 With its three prongs, the Nintendo 64 controlli ittedly looks a bit
comes
tocontrolling the action,

TAKING CONTROL
Control Stick, and Control Pad, the Nintendo
64 controller contained an expansion port
The Nintendo 64 may not have been the first on its underside. Originally this port was
video game system to offer analog control used to house the N64 Controller Pak, which
(the Atari 5200 and Vectrex, both from acted as a memory card for games that
1982, beat it), but it's certainly the system lacked an internal battery. However, it soon
that brought this type of control-which was became known as the slot where players
perfect for three-dimensional games-into plugged in the Rumble Pak. This accessory,
the mainstream. The N64 controller's unique which was first packed with Star Fox 64,
design looked a bit odd at first, but players provided force feedback in select games by
quickly discovered that it was perfect for vibrating the controller at certain times.
games that were designed to take advantage It may seem common today, but having a
of it. Moving a character like Mario through controller tremble in response to a game's
3D space worked exceptionally well with the onscreen action was quite innovative in
controller's analog Control Stick, and the C 1997. A slightly more obscure accessory for
Buttons provided a clever way to manipulate the N64 controller's expansion port was the
in-game cameras. The Z trigger, located on Transfer Pak. Only a handful of US releases
the back of the controller's central prong, supported the device, which transferred
made every shot in GoldenEye 007 feel like data between Game Boy/Game Boy Color
it was really being fired from a gun, and it cartridges and the Nintendo 64. It was
made targeting enemies a breeze in The primarily used by Pokémon fans who wished
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. to import their captured critters to battle in
In addition to the standard buttons, the Pokémon Stadium titles.

52 NINTENDO POWER
 OSS 0
9327362 oy
2 у

оу
Jo 16

the foundation
for a great racing
game. 1080*
Snowboarding
did the same
thing with snow
and ice, while

МАХ POWER Pilotwings 64 took real-world physics to the sky.

As time went on, designers learned how to
0 ROWER Ш> >[ >[ з > throw just enough reality in the mix; Excitebike
64 offered a fine-tuned combination of realistic
bike behavior and arcade-style fun. Real physics
of gravity and motion—Mario jumps so high,
played a role in games of pure fantasy, too.
falls so fast, floats like so. It wasn't until the
When Link shot an arrow or tossed a bomb in the
The Nintendo 64 went by the codename Project N64 generation, though, that console games
Legend of Zelda games, gravity and momentum
Reality. Sure, that was some show-offy market- began to feature realistic physics. Those laws
now came into play. Third-party developer Sucker
ing, but there was truth to it. The N64 brought of motion grew more complex, until they
Punch designed its cartoon platformer Rocket:
anew kind of realistic feel to games—even ones finally felt a lot like the real ones.
Robot on Wheels around a detailed object-physics
that weren't about reality at all. Wave Race 64 began as a physics experi-
system, letting players grab almost anything in
Games have had their own kind of physics ment: could the system simulate the behavior
the game world and build their own solutions to
forever. Super Mario Bros. runs on simple laws of real water? Turns out it could, and that made
complex, Rube Goldberg-style puzzles.
Alongside realistic physics came realistic

cou ННЯ
4) 22253 9 ШЕЛІ
presentation: the art of mimicking something real
with the details of a game's graphics and sound.
Sports simulations and racing games took big
steps here, but the best example was in profes-
sional wrestling. Seriously—pro grappling made
some massive leaps on the N64. Games like WWF
WrestleMania 2000 used careful camera work,
special effects, and refined animation to mimic
the Monday-night TV experience. “Real” sport or
no, it went a long way toward looking true to life.

SEPTEMBER 2011 53
 A CINEMATIC APPROACH
The English word “cinema” comes from the
French word for “camera,” which in turn
comes from the Greek word for “movement.”
From the beginning, the Nintendo 64
untethered the player's perspective, letting us
see a 3D world from every angle.
Different games went cinematic in differ-
ent ways. Star Wars came to polygonal life in
games like Rogue Squadron and Shadows of
the Empire, adapting classic moments from
the theater into something we could play and
become a part of. GoldenEye 007 showed an
action movie unfolding through the eyes of
the hero. Monstrously raunchy voice acting
and cut-scenes made Conker’s Bad Fur Day
one of the funniest titles we’ve ever played.
In other games, the cinematic influence
was more subtle. Ocarina of Time used
sweeping camera shifts to hint at the way
through puzzles and dungeons. Each time
Link unlocked a new pathway or discovered
a chest, the camera would suggest a way to
get from where he stood to where he needed
to go, instead of simply serving up a hard cut
from one bit of the game world to another.
It’s a gentle bit of navigation assistance, but
a very important one, and it wouldn't work
without cinematic techniques.

54 NINTENDO POWER
 8/70 FPO 5/5 1x77 Пи з

GoldenEye 007, the console shooter for a solid

four years running. Nothing else—not even its photography game Pokémon Snap would likely
The leap to 3D was the biggest sea change own almost-sequel, Perfect Dark—could match it have been pretty dull in 2D, but in a polygonal
in gaming history. Familiar franchises were for cinematic feel and deathmatch action. While world it made for one of the most engaging
nothing like they used to be, and soon they GoldenEye ruled the FPS field, lesser-known Pokémon experiences.
were joined by completely new names and new N64 games helped to define other genres. Body With the dawn of the 3D era, two-dimensional
gaming experiences. Harvest was a pioneer in open-world 3D action. gameplay and graphics took a little time off.
In 2011a first-person shooter isn't anything Coming from the outfit we now call Rockstar Soon, though, designers and artists found a
very special. In 1997, though, Turok: Dinosaur North, you could call it the grandfather to Grand way to make the old and the new work together.
Hunter blew gamers away, becoming the first Theft Auto Ill. Jet Force Gemini was another The unique visual style of Paper Mario dropped
fully polygonal FPS to make a big splash on a con- glimpse of the future, a look ahead to the next classic 2D characters in à new-school 3D
sole. The Nintendo 64 went on to dominate the generation's furious 3D shooters. world. Diving headlong into the future took the
genre until the release of Halo on Xbox, a genera- A few games still stand in their own little Nintendo 64 into some fascinating places, but
tion later. Turok, of course, wasn't the game that 3D niche. Blast Corps made a quirky brew out there's something to be said for hanging on to
did most of the dominating. That honor goes to of action, puzzles, and gigantic explosions; some memorable pieces of the past.

зеРТЕМВЕН 2011 88
BB „гемо power
Chris
Redfield
jumps back
into the
action in

for Nintendo
DS
 the player can experience
the fear
and the thrill of fighting against the
scary creatures with limited ammo."
The reason Jill and Parker
boarded this monster-infested (see
the “New Nightmares" sidebar) ship

WITHOUT A DOUBT, all-ages titles are the cornerstones of in the first place was to search for
Chris. Too bad for them that it was
Nintendo experience. But one Mature-rated franchise has all а trap set by a mysterious new

p success on Nintendo platforms time and again: Resident antagonist. As we discovered when
we played a new demo, Chris was
Whether it's the original Resident Evil гетак Resident actually in a snow-covered moun-

ident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles,

ide (Cd ironicles, or ix nud!
t| Evil:The Me

al-horror experience that опус capcom сап

є р
now
Nintendo 305 owners will be able to playR
E elations, “the first survival-horror and traditional
game developec n the ground up for a handheld system;
producer M Kawata tells us.
The exclusivity factor is certainly issue's preview, Jill has a new ocean liner that felt less like the
cool, and it means the development partner named Parker, a soldier pre-iceberg Titanic than like the
team can devote its resources to Kawata describes as "a reliable mansion from the first Resident Evil.
making the best possible product guy in the battle situations and... This harking back to the beginning
for the autostereoscopic handheld. very popular among his colleagues, jibes with Kawata's goal for this
The results are already astound- with his likable personality." In game: eschewing the action-horror
ing-this is easily one of the most the impressive demo we played of Resident Evils 4 and 5 and, as
visually impressive N3DS games back at this year's E3 Expo, Jill and Kawata says, "going back to the
we've seen so far. But beyond its Parker were trapped on a luxury classic survival-horror game, where
technical achievements, Revelations
is exciting because it's a full-fledged
Resident Evil title that helps fill in
some gaps in the series's timeline.
Taking place between Resident
Evils 4 and 5, Revelations explores
the early days of the Bioterrorism
Security Assessment Alliance
(BSAA), a Bio-Organic Weapon
(BOW)-hunting group that was
introduced in Resident Evil 5.
Longtime series protagonists Chris
Redfield and Jill Valentine are back,
doing what they do best (shooting
baddies)—but they won't be working
together. As we mentioned in last

58 NINTENDO POWER
 FEAR RUNS COLD

Zombies and not-zombie ganados/majini have become staples

of the Resident Evil experience, but Revelations introduces
water-based monsters that can slice, dice, and explode. Their
exact origins have yet to be revealed, but they are infected with
a new virus called T-Abyss. Producer Masachika Kawata tells us
that water was a central theme during the early stages of develop-
ment-which is appropriate given the nautical setting Jill and
Parker find themselves in—and he goes on to say that "the enemy
has the same characteristics as the form of liquid." Consider that
the next time you reach for a drink.

tain range somewhere in Europe, slow down because her feet hurt. Eventually, the two find what
accompanied by his new (and As Chris, you have little choice but remains of the front section of the
Parker's old) partner: a sniper-rifle- to ignore her complaints and march plane, open the door to the cockpit,
wielding, fashion-conscious young onward-until you see a damaged and discover a dead pilot, who
woman named Jessica. Kawata says plane roar overhead before it falls to the ground. At this point
Jessica "is not only a pretty face but crashes farther along the path the game instructs you to equip
also has a good brain." However, the you're on. Chris and Jessica rush the Genesis scanner, a device that
only thing that comes across when over to the crash site, where they is used to uncover hidden objects.
we first meet heriswhininess, as find traces of some sort of virus First you equip the scanner by
she complains that Chris needsto among the flaming wreckage. pressing up on the Control Pad or by

With his handy-dandy Genesis scanner, Chris can find hidden items such as green herbs, ammo, and flight manifests.

seereween 2071 09
 tapping on the Genesis scanner icon MY MINE mostly unchanged from that of The while in the targeting mode, and you
on the touch screen. You then use the “This cave is too cold,” Jessica Mercenaries 3D—you still aim and can still use a health-replenishing
scanner much as you would a gun in grumbles as they enter the mine. shoot from the first-person perspec- green herb at any time by tapping A.
The Mercenaries 3D; you hold R to Chris's response? “You should've tive, you can still strafe by holding L Revelations does add one new
enter targeting mode, aim the reticle worn your thermal underwear."
with the Circle Pad, and press Y once Soon after this exchange, they
you've found your target. In this case, encounter their first enemies:
the scanner is used to find the flight zombified wolves. "See? This is why
manifest on the pilot's body, but I like Chihuahuas!” Jessica quips as
Kawata notes that the scanner can the wolves begin to attack. Naturally,
also be used to find hidden ammo Chris and Jessica are well prepared
and health-recovery items. The flight for this sort of thing. Aside from his
manifest tells Chris and Jessica that Genesis scanner-a less-than-helpful
the plane was headed for Valkoinen gadget in a fight-Chris has a pistol
Mókki airport, which becomes the and a shotgun in his arsenal. You
BSAA agents' new destination. equip a firearm by pressing right
Luckily for the footsore Jessica, the on the Control Pad or by tapping
airport isn't far, and Chris knows of a its icon on the touch screen. Once
shortcut through a nearby mine. you're armed, the control scheme is

~ SCANNING 4.1

60 NINTENDO POWER
 FEAR RUNS COLD

A History of Evil
As this timeline illustrates, what started as a simple rescue mission set offachain reaction that
would expose the evil agenda of a multinational corporation, wipe an entire city off the face of the
Earth, and turn thousands of ordinary people into mindless puppets. —KENNY M.

S] |
The umbrella Pharmaceutical Billy Coen’s Marine squadron is STARS (Special Tactics and Rescue
Corporation is founded by ordered to murder the members Service) Bravo Team is sent into the Arklay
Ozwell E. Spencer, Edward of a civilian village in Africa. Mountains to investigate a series of bizarre
Ashford, and Dr. James When the unit is brought back murder cases in the vicinity. Rebecca
Marcus. (Resident Evil: The to the U.S., the soldiers are Chambers, the team medic and the newest
Umbrella Chronicles) convicted of murdering23 member of STARS, is separated from the
people and are sentenced to rest of Bravo Team when she boardsa train
death. (Resident Evil 0) transporting an escap ed convict named Billy Coen. (Resident Evil 0)

Jill Valentine tries to flee Raccoon Chris Redfield leaves for STARS Alpha Team is sent into the Arklay
City not only to save herlife, but ел Europe to continue the fight Mountains, situated on the outskirts of Raccoon
also to meet up with Chris in Europe. |л ч against Umbrella. (Resident City, to locate Bravo Team, with whom they have
However, she is cut off by Nemesis a Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles) lost contact. Alpha Team is attacked by undead
and ends up partnering with Carlos dogs while examining Bravo Team’s downed chop-
Oliveira, an Umbrella Corp. soldier per, and the surviving members—Albert Wesker,
supposedly sent to save the citizens Barry Burton, Chris Redfield, and Jill Valentine—are
of Raccoon City. (Resident Evil3) forced into the Spencer mansion. (Resident Evil)

Leon 5. Kennedy, а rookie The U.S. president Claire is captured

police officer on his first day authorizes the by Umbrella guards
with the Raccoon City Police missile-based while searching
Force, is reporting for duty. He demolition of Umbrella’s Paris lab
meets up with Claire Redfield, Raccoon City. Jill for her brother Chris,
who is searching for her and Carlos make it and she is taken toa
brother, Chris, after he discov- out of the city just prison on Rockford
ers that zombies have overrun in time to avoid Island. (Resident Evil
the city. (Resident Evil2) the explosion. Code: Veronica X)
(Resident Evil3)

Leon 15 hired to find the U.S. president's Leon S. Kennedy and

missing daughter, Ashley Graham, who Jack Krauser, a former
was reportedly being held captive in special agent, are sent
Europe. A cult group known as the Los to South America to
Iluminados is discovered to be behind capture the leader of a
the kidnapping, and they have created drug-smuggling opera-
a parasite known as the Las Plagas, which allows for mind control of tion. (Resident Evil: The
individuals who are carriers of the parasite. (Resident Evil 4) Darkside Chronicles)

Jill Valentine and Chris Chris Redfield, now а member

Redfield help found the of the BSAA, is sent to Africa.
BSAA (Bioterrorism He meets up with Sheva
Security Assessment Alomar, a member of the
Alliance). Chris vanishes, BSAA’s African branch, and
and Jill embarks on аjour- the two work together to
ney to find him. (Resident neutralize an outbreak ina
Evil Revelations) village. (Resident Evil5)

SEPTEMBER 2011 Bl
 feature to the controls, though; player can feel the fear more easily as that dog that crashes through with a couple of shots.
you can tap X to use a secondary without havinga hassleto figure the window in the very first game). Of course, you can dispatch them
weapon-in this case a knife that out how to play," Kawata explains. These wolves—which, as it turns even faster once you've found
can be used to slash item-holding Admittedly, we didn't feel much out, were the cargo the plane was some BOW Decoys deeper in the
crates in addition to baddies. This fear at this point in the game. carrying—are dangerous mainly mines. These grenade-like weapons
one-tap melee strike makes it a The wolves are deadly, sure, but because they attack in packs and are timed explosives that make a
snap to go from shooting to knifing. they are not nearly as scary as run quickly, so it can be difficult to beeping sound, luring in any nearby
"We wanted to make the game the dogs in the prior Resident Evil get a bead on a single foe. Once you BOWs. Thankfully, the BOW Decoys
controls stress-free so that the titles (and certainly not as scary do, however, the wolves go down count as secondary weapons,
meaning that-once you've toggled
between the BOW Decoy and the
knife by pressing left on the Control
Pad or by selecting
the BOW Decoy
with your stylus-you can throw one
of these explosives with a simple tap
ofthe X Button.

TAKING ACTION
It behooves you stock up on BOW
Decoys; as Chris and Jessica make
their way through the mine-with
Jessica periodically prodding Chris
about Jill and sounding jealous of
Chris and Jill's relationship—Chris
loses his footing when tryingto
jump across a gap and slides down
a cliff into a large open area. Due
to his injuries, he can't move from
his position. Things then go from
bad to worse as waves of wolves
appear. Fortunately, Chris can still
rotate 360 degrees, and he has his
knife, handgun, and BOW Decoys at

B2 NINTENDO POWER
 FEAR RUNS COLD

We haven't experienced it yet, but we know that at some point Jill

and Parker have to fight the new water-based enemies while they
are swimming underwater. To make matters worse, we're told that
the usually slow-moving baddies are much faster in their natural
environment. However, producer Masachika Kawata is hesitant to
divulge much about subaqueous combat: “Underwater is a totally
different game environment where a different control scheme
is required. You can expect to see special weapons that come in
handy underwater.” Let the speculation begin.

his disposal. Plus, Jessica is there to boss, O'Brian, of this fact, Chris and
back him up. “Ме and my sweet ass Jessica learn that Veltro seems to
are on the way!" she shouts as she be behind Jill and Parker's capture.
hustlesto his aid. Chris and Jessica are tasked with
With all of this combat, it's heading off to the Mediterranean in
clear that this Chris-centric demo search of their former partners.
is much more action-heavy than
the Jill-focused one. But Kawata
emphasizes, "[You may have the] Given the game's-and Jessica’s—
impression of an action game since focus on partners, you would
the RE4 game system was incor- think cooperative play would be a “Chris and Jessica’s and Jill and after our hands-on play session
porated in the game engine, but no-brainer. After all, as in Resident Parker's relationships are new to with Revelations, we had even
you always have to risk death while Evil5,your partner is almost the series. They were partnered up more questions. It kind of makes
progressing with limited ammo. always by your side. Furthermore, in order to achieve their objectives sense, though: in a game with the
Your mission here is to survive." The Mercenaries 3D featured as agents; however, if any of them subtitle Revelations, things will be
Survival isn't too hard for local-wireless and online two- have any personal agendas is disclosed only once you've played
Mr. Redfield, though, even if he player co-op. Alas, Revelations is a something that you won't know until through the game. Resident Evil:
is injured. Once the wolves are solo-only affair. “The theme of this you play the game." Revelations's release date can't
exterminated, Jessica gives Chris a game is survival-horror, so we are For every answer we got come soon enough.
helping hand—he seems to be able concentrating on the single-player
to shake off his injuries once he's on experience in Revelations, which we
his feet-and the two exit the mine. feel is better suited to the genre,”
Outside they spot the airport in the Kawata tells us.
distance, and using their binoculars Although you won't be able to
they notice the crest on the side of play with a friend, you will be able
the building marking it as a Veltro to control both Parker and Jessica
facility. "Veltro is a radical terrorist over the course of the adventure.
organization that operates on a "Naturally, they will have different
global scale," explains Kawata. "But skills from Jill and Chris's," reveals
they had never made an appearance Kawata. "You will have to wait and
in the RE series before." Despite see if their unique abilities can be
we gamers never having faced with useful in the game." Of course,
them previously, Chris has at some there's no tellingifParker and
point; he states that Veltro has been Jessica themselves will always
"resurrected." While informing their prove to be useful: Kawata teases,

SEPTEMBER 2011 83
 PLAY
BALE
REVISITING THE CLASSICS ЖОЕ Ю E Гай [и K K K K K ÚH|
ш
т
`" m The
ч EI
pompadouris
back, baby!

Stride
STRIDIN’
AIN'T EASY
Hiryu himself was born
before either of the games.
that made him famous.
He’s an early attempt ata

The name’s Hiryu. Strider Hiryu. multimedia tie-in; Capcom

intended to make Strider
games while Kadokawa
Shoten published a Strider
manga series. The games
would sell the comic, the
comic would sell the games,
PLATFORM: NES and everybody would win.
PUBLISHER: CAPCOM
DEVELOPER: CAPCOM
RELEASE DATE: JULY 1989
TURED IN ISSUES:5,7, 9, 38
5 LOST IN CHINA:

he 8-bit age began with

T games that were about mov-
ing from left to right. Super
Mario Bros. was groundbreaking,
sure, but it was stuck on a one-way
street; Mario started at one end
Strider. noun. 1: onee who SEES 2:one о executes acts such as
ofthe level and he ambled to
infiltration, abduction, explosion, instigation, etc.
the other. Later on, NES heroes
figured out how to go in almost
Or not. Hiryu’s printed
any direction. Like Link and Samus giant sprites, extra detail, and around on metal ceilings after
adventures failed to set the
Aran, the sword-swinging ninja/ some brain-twisting boss battles. finding the magnet boots.
world on fire. By the time
commando Strider Hiryu went Even so, arcade Hiryu is stuck In the background, a story
Capcom had the console
whichever way he had to...within on that one-way street. The NES with real teeth for its time quietly
game ready to go, the
the limits of two dimensions. (It game let him loose to slash and unfolded. To players back then, it
сопис had already come
was still the "805, after all. Gamers scale his way around a huge was really something when Strider
and gone, so the Famicom
could ask
for only so much.) nonlinear game world. Each level HQ flatly told Hiryu to go kill his
Strider simply went in the
Strider for the NES came out had areas that gradually revealed best friend—and that was at the
vaults. Japanese fans never.
alongside a very different arcade themselves after Hiryu found hid- very beginning. The ending was so
got to play it-they got just
version. (Have a look to the right den data files in other stages, and dark and depressing it’s a wonder
thearcade game, finished
for details on Hiryu's origin.) the action got more interesting as Capcom let the game hit American
several months earlier. It's
With its impressive-for-the-time he gathered new moves and new shelves without toning it down.
ararity—a Japanese-made
16-bit graphics, the arcade game bits of ninja-James Bond gadgetry. But perhaps the most memo-
classic that came out only
seemed like the cooler prospect: There was nothing like monkeying rable part of Strider-the signature
in the West. Adding insult
visual that etched itself into play-
to injury, Capcom licensed
ers’ minds-is the image you get
Hiryu toa UK company
when Hiryu swings his blade. You
n... HIRVU. that dished out a deeply.
| Y TRIED т... TO caren don't see a sword—just the arc that
маттс. questionable Strider Il.
пот...т rareo. itslices through the air. It might
Hiryu finally made a
have just been a way of saving on
triumphant comeback in the
colors or animation frames, but it
Marvel vs. Capcom arcade
just seemed so cool. Hiryu didn't
game and soon thereafter
just go whatever way he wanted; he
appeared па true Strider
did it with style. - БАМІЮ s.
sequel. Even so, it’s pretty
tough out there for a Strider.

HAWE Я FAVORITE CLASSIC GAME YOU'D LIKE TO SEE REWISITED?

64 NINTENDO POWER Send us
your requests—we'll consider them for a future installment of Playback. [email protected]
 MIC HEROES

ps ра Ден waARVEL NS

Ренне ie шен.
eI
А
а
Ve
чне
bi
ОМТЕТНЕ co
АЗА ТО KNOW!
ғ

105 road
sic r б
у theirGdase
~
à SIDthiEngs DHellUboy H и УУУУ

all
‘DEVIL№ ==
THERAINBOW ORCHID,DORISDANGERGIANTMONSTER
M :
-—9 И + жек
a

ES ISSUE 2 ON SALE NOW

г
COMIC HERO
OMICHEROESMAGAZINE.COM
WWW.C
 | Eg ram ооmar
18 PAGES ON THE AMAZING
30KANDHELO!
== = THE
OFFICIAL
NINTENDO
MAGAZINE

її Ei APE! мекемені

49 ANNIVERSARY mmm з
NINTENDO

26-PAGE TRIBUTE ^^...

Wesalute thegames, controllers, codes,
- andeven theboxesbehindthesystemthatstarteditall |

12 ISSUES FOR И jo|

WWW. nintendopower. сот/геріупом
*Subscription offer good in the U.S. only. Newsstand price is U.S. $5.99 per issue. Nintendo Power magazine is published
For more information visit www.nintendopower.com/customerservice by Future US, Inc., under official license —M
бате trademarks and copyrights are properties of their respective owners. from Nintendo of America. Future
Nintendo properties are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2011 Future US, Inc. MEDIA WITH PASION
 4 ін
МГГА
IN THIS SECTION

Wii

робо

(0,74.
ТЕ

BIT.TRIP SAGA
DECA SPORTS EXTREME

DRIVER RENEGADE

FACE RACERS: PHOTO

FINISH
FROGGER 3D
DEMENS Ше

SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI:

DEVIL SURVIVOR
OVERCLOCKED
STAR FOX 6430.

have remake for: ,

Nintendo 308. =

SEPTEMBER 2011 67
 Return Fligh
in lava, and the wreckage of
a recently destroyed space
station gives off a distinctive
metallic sheen. Through it all,
the frame rate remains remark-
ably smooth; we noticed only a
couple of brief hiccups during
our entire playthrough.
Though some members of the opening level, for instance, Then there's the 3D, which
STAR FOX 64 3D the NP staff beg to differ, I feel the light from your laser fire ranks among the best on the
that the upgrades to Star Fox reflects convincingly along the system. The picture remains
RATING: 8.0
64 are even more compelling water’s surface. Hundreds of crisp even with the slider
PLATFORM: NINTENDO 305
PUBLISHER: NINTENDO than those in Ocarina. That's tiny burning embers float past cranked all the way up, and in
DEVELOPER: O-GAMES/NINTENDO not to say it's a better game, your ship above a planet covered no other game have | felt such
ESRB: EVERYONE
because it certainly isn't. But astrong sensation that stuff
After underwhelming audiences the appeal of space shooters like ^ ^ is actually coming out of the
with its past few installments this lies disproportionately in the ) 4. 4 screen. If you're looking for a
then laying dormant for five presentation, and Star Fox 64 3D way to show off the handheld's

кее)
years, Star Fox has been a series looks incredible. In fact, I'd go so 3D capabilities to your friends,
in dire need of a jumpstart. How far as to say it’s the most impres- this is a great option. Beyond
fitting that the thing to finally sive showcase to date of what the visual impact, that enhanced
supply that jolt is a return to the Nintendo 3DS hardware is sense of depth also has a benefi-
Fox McCloud's all-time greatest capable of. The blurry veneer Cial effect on gameplay. Often
exploit. Star Fox 64 3D, despite ofthe original Nintendo Star Fox 64 is as much abou
having one of the most awk- 64 game has given maneuvering through hazards
ward titles in recent memory, way to gorgeously ж- as itis about shooting enemies,
reminds us of what Nintendo's detailed texture | and the 3D helps you assess the
space opus can be and leaves work that makes distance between your ship and
us hungering for more like it. liberal use of normal mapping, its surroundings. When the time
Ironically, it's also the best rea- and the fidelity holds up no does come to blow stuff up, the
son to boot up your 3D handheld matter how close things get. extra dimension makes it easier
since the publisher's last 64-bit On top of that, the developers to determine the right moment
restoration, The Legend of have employed some stunning to detonate your bombs.
Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. effects. As you skim the lake in For all its new visual pizzazz,

68 NINTENDO POWER
 -VIТАД

Performance Upgrade e by the comparison shots below,

зар 1 Star Fox 64 3D havve come a long
ym their Nintendo 64 origins.

Star Fox 64 3D plays largely the Landmaster tank. The former

same as its 1997 progenitor. revolve heavily around dogfights,
That's not necessarily a bad which occasionally leads to the
thing; the core experience is same problem found in games
pretty timeless and remains like Ace Combat: You spend
as much fun today as it was most of your time chasing down
14 years ago. Throughout the targets, only to have them zoom
single-player campaign, you'll by in an instant so you can begin
encounter three different types the process anew. As for the
of missions. The most common Landmaster missions, driving
type is оп rails—that is, you can around in a tank simply isn't as
maneuver your ship around the cool as flying a spaceship. But
screen but your overall path those are niggling complaints;
through the level is fixed. Those all of the missions are more
are the best of the bunch, as entertaining than not and the
they allow the developers to variety is ultimately welcome.
construct a cinematic and tightly Less so is the constant chatter
paced experience. Other mis- from your wingmen. The voice
sions grant full freedom of flight acting in Star Fox 64 was notori-
or drop you on the ground in a ously bad, and though Nintendo

reassembled the original cast case, |found them far too annoy-
and had them re-record all of ingto be funny. What would have
the dialogue, the results are been great is if the game took
every bit as grating. The biggest advantage of the handheld's
difference is that you can now built-in microphone so you could
hear their aural atrocities more tell 5Прру to shut up. He and
clearly thanks to the superior the rest of your squadmates do
sound capabilities of the N3DS. serve a pretty cool gameplay
Maybe the poor vocal perfor- purpose (seethe "Meet Your
mances are meant to be some Wingmen” sidebar), so | wouldn't
sort of nostalgia-fueled, self- want them to go away. But
deprecating joke. Whatever the unless they have something cru-
cial to tell me, they should heed
the adage "silence is golden."
The game's soundtrack, on
the other hand, is quite good.
Originally composed by Hajime
Wakai and the legendary Koji
Kondo, it's appropriately theatric
and seems to draw inspiration
from the likes of Star Trek and
Star Wars. Here, the improved
audio quality over the N64 game
is much appreciated. None of
the themes are as memorable as
Kondo's work on Mario or Zelda,
Ацувавео LIT yet they elevate the experience
- Arwing in such a way that a grandiose

ALL SCREENSHOTS HAVE BEEN CAPTURED IN 2D MODE.

SEPTEMBER 2011 69
 ghoutt
player campe

of suppor
ir best i | COpn iinun
LOMBARDI
Though a bit clumsy in battle, bU LUMDARU
Slippy is a top-notch mechanic The former head of a galactic gang, Peppy is a veteran pilot who
responsible for the Star Fox team's Falco can come across as uncoop- served with Fox's father, James
vehicle maintenance and weapons erative at times. His piloting skills McCloud. He occasionally dispens-
development. During boss battles, are second to none, however, and es helpful gameplay advice, like
he'll scan your foe and display the allow him to reveal paths to some pointing out a boss’s weakness or
bad guy's life bar onscreen. of the game's alternate levels. advising you, “Do a Barrel Roll!"

campaign, you'll choose

between "Nintendo 64"
and "Nintendo 3DS"
modes. The former utilizes
the Circle Pad to steer your
ship and poses the same
degree of difficulty as the
original version of Star Fox
64. Depending on which
path you take, things can
get pretty hairy in this
mode. The "Nintendo 3DS"
option is quite a bit gentler
and allows you to maneu-
ver via the handheld's gyro
[Right] Training mode is helpful, but that raccoon's wide-eyed stare is creepy. sensor. In other words, if
you tilt the system to the
space opera starring a bunch of surface of what the campaign missions can be accessed only left, your ship will turn left. It
anthropomorphic animals some- has to offer, however. In fact, through secret methods (see the sounds like a neat idea in theory,
how seems less ridiculous. That's it'll expose you to only a third “Star Detours” sidebar). There's but in practice | much prefer
asignificant accomplishment. or so of the game's levels. While also plenty of incentive to the old-fashioned controls. In
Skilled pilots should be able your journey always begins and replay, in the form of unlockable my experience, using the gyro
to reach the end of said opera in ends at the same locations, goodies and medals awarded sensor just doesn't provide
a couple of hours. A single run- there are a number of branching for certain accomplishments. the type of quick response and
through barely scratches the paths in between, and certain When you kick off anew pinpoint accuracy you want in a

70 NINTENDO POWER
 ~ E VA ВУ Го
I> ји Vi É WS
ПЕ 88011828

Us
ts for ES ome of the
e[>

CORNERIA
Save Falco when he asks for help at the
! middle of the level, then fly through each of
the stone arches toward the end. Falco will
7 tell you to follow him through a waterfall,
which eventually leads to Sector Y.

| SECTOR X
When the boss is nearly defeated, its
head will explode to reveal a single red
eye. If you don’t shoot it, Slippy will try to
do so himself, onlytoget swatted down.
He crashes on Titania, and the rest of the
team heads there to rescue him.

' A Š MACBETH
б» m ° cg (x4 As you follow the train through this
Рерру ы m level, you'll eventually come to а series
: of eight numbered switches followed by
one unnumbered switch. If you shoot all
game like this. Plus, unless you're mode for up to four players. It's M of them, you'll end up in Area 6.
some sort of cyborg who can not as addictive as games that
move your head in perfect syn- focus on multiplayer, like Mario
chronicity with your hands, you'll Kart or Super Smash Bros., but
probably have to turn off the asa supplement to a full-fledged
3D effect (which, as mentioned single-player campaign, it's fields, stealth mines, and homing remakes. As with Ocarina of
previously, is a highlight of the pretty solid. (Plus, the whole missiles. Battle mode also takes Time 3D, the publisher has
game). Of course, since this con- thing is accessible via Download advantage of the front-facing taken the best game in a long-
trol scheme is entirely optional, Play.) There are four different camera built into the N3DS by running franchise and made
you can't really knock the game maps available for dogfighting, streaming video of each player's it better in every way. If you
for including it. Just don't go in and each offers unique terrain face and displaying it next to his were a fan of the original, this is
expecting it to revolutionize the that can have a dramatic effect ship. That way you can glory in great reason to revisit it, and if
way you play Star Fox. on how the battles unfold. Our the look of crushing disappoint- you've never played a Star Fox
Rounding out the package are favorite is Corneria, where tow- ment on your opponent's mug as game before, there's no better
a Score Attack mode that lets ering skyscrapers and numerous you reduce his dreams of victory introduction. Hopefully it proves
you replay any stage, an unlock- underpasses make pursuing to so much burning wreckage. At to be just what Fox and friends
able Expert difficulty, and the your targets especially... least that's what I got out of it. need to get back on a proper
added ability to save your game adventurous. To spice things So Nintendo is officially two flight path; we'd love another
(this was missing from the origi- up even more, you can enable for two when it comes to N64 one like this soon. —sTEVE T.
nal N64 title). But the biggest multiplayer-exclusive
extra is a local-wireless battle power-ups such as force

ALL SCREENSHOTS HAVE BEEN CAPTURED IN 2D MODE.

SEPTEMBER 2011 n
 [Above] As these Steeler defenders are discovering first hand, Ray
Rice is a bad, bad man.

Field of the Familiar

you bid against other teams
in real time. Ostensibly this is
meant to inject the process with
a bit of excitement, but it just
ends up limiting your options
and is likely to frustrate serious
but are largely hoping to cash stopgap, and if you already own general mangers. The continued
MADDEN NFL 12 in on past accomplishments. In its predecessor, there's little omission of a real preseason is
Madden's case, that probably reason to upgrade. also disappointing.
|RATING:
7.0| shouldn't come as a surprise Take Franchise mode. Not Likewise, not much has
PLATFORM: Wii
PUBLISHER: EASPORTS given that a) the series under- only does it lack any significant changed on the field. In fact,
DEVELOPER: EAПВОВОМ went a major overhaul just 12 improvements or additions some niggling Al issues remain,
ESRB: EVERYONE
months ago and b) Nintendo beyond last year's SimCity- including cornerbacks that
This season's version of Madden has a new console on the inspired revamp; it even too often seem to get lost in
is a like a big-name free agent horizon. (One that should be recycles the same art assets. the secondary, allowing their
coming off a career year. Both great for pigskin, by the way.) The only change of note is a new receivers to run free. This is the
still have something to offer, Madden NFL 12 feels like a free-agency system, which has sixth iteration of Madden on Wii,
so those types of things really
ought to be ironed out by now.
The online component has gone
mostly untouched, as well.
But lest this start to sound
exceedingly negative, let’s be
clear. Madden NFL 12 delivers
arock-solid game of football.
Everything we loved about last
year’s installment has carried
over, plus the developers finally
added support for the Classic
Controller. (However, using the
old-school pad means sacrific-
ing one of the Wii version's
coolest features-the ability to
draw your own audible routes
via the pointer.) It’s just hard
to remember the last time a
Madden game changed so little
from one season to the next.
That's obviously not an issue
for those who sat out NFL 11,
but everyone else will need
to decide whether updated
rosters are worth another $50.
—STEVET.

12 NINTENDO POWER
Wi
5 ЖАТЫ!
Is

WCW/nWo Revenge, WWF

WrestleMania 2000, WWF
No Mercy, GoldenEye 007,
and Mario Kart 64 should keep me
occupied for along time. DRIVER RENEGADE DECA SPORTS EXTREME CAMPING MAMA

depth to remain engaging for long. The

Conker’s Bad Fur Day and DRIVER RENEGADE FROGGER 3D character customization is also very
WWF No Mercy would be superficial, and combined with the
must-haves for me. Beyond minimalist stage designs, creates an
PLATFORM: NINTENDO 305 PLATFORM: NINTENDO 305
that, I'd probably bring Konami's PUBLISHER: UBISOFT PUBLISHER: KONAMI overall bland presentation. Also, the
underrated Goemon games. DEVELOPER: UBISOFT DEVELOPER: ALPHA UNIT 3D effect enhances only snowball fight-
ESRB: MATURE ESRB: EVERYONE
ing, blow darts, and snow sledding;
The Driver franchise doesn't exactly Konami has the right idea with the rest of the sports are better off
If |had a buddy with me, have a history of quality, but I tried Frogger 3D. Instead of trying to mod- without it. Deca Sports Extreme is fun
I'd take Mario Tennis, to go into Driver Renegade with an ernize the series with some totally hip at first, but it won't hold your interest
GoldenEye 007, and Super open mind. The first Driver game anthropomorphic frog with a ‘tude, long enough to
justify spending $40.
Smash Bros. If not, Mario Kart 64 and was good way back when, after all, they've opted to return the series to —KENNY М.
Star Fox 64 would keep me happy until and it's always possible that the its roots with a simple game about
I got rescued. series will return to those roots. navigating confined environments,
Unfortunately, Driver Renegade is avoiding obstacles, and reaching each CAMPING MAMA:
yet another disappointing entry in a level's goal. When the game sticks to OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
I would bring Kirby 6: series full of them. this classic (yet variety-filled) formula
The Crystal Shards, Banjo- Infact, this might be the worst of quick action and quick reflexes, PLATFORM: NINTENDO DS
PUBLISHER: MAJESCO
Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64, installment of the bunch. In it's pretty fun. Too often, however, DEVELOPER: COOKING МАМА 170.
Pokémon Snap, and Resident Evil 2. addition to the mediocre storyline there are poorly designed challenges ESRB: EVERYONE

The first four

are joyful, and I can play (in which protagonist John Tanner that require pure trial and error to
Мата” back with an all-new hobby:
RE2 over and over. takes down crime bosses in New overcome. This makes the game far
instead of cooking, crafting, or
York City) and the laughably bad more frustrating than it should be,
gardening, she's roughing it in the
voice acting that accompanies it, especially since the difficulty is pretty
great outdoors. Camping Mama still
If was stuck on the island the bland gameplay makes for a severe and you must beat each level
focuses primarily on the series's
for along time, I'd like to less-than-entertaining experience. three times (with the goal in different
trademark minigame approach—with
have The Legend of Zelda: The one saving grace is that the locations) to proceed to the next
nearly 100 games, including chopping
Ocarina of Time simply because my 20 Story-mode missions can be One. —CHRIS H.
wood and flinging fruit at swinging
daily conversations with the folks at completed quickly—especially when
monkeys—but now combines those
Kakariko village would be the closest you can exploit the brain-dead
I could get to real human interaction. opponent AI. It's not uncommon to DECA SPORTS EXTREME speedy events within an on-foot
Explore mode in which you'll complete
Geez, how depressing would that be? see enemies crash into buildings as
simple gathering tasks and avoid
they're making turns. Occasionally PLATFORM: NINTENDO 305
PUBLISHER: KONAMI woodland creatures. Explore mode
the bad guys will get stuck, making DEVELOPER: HUDSON turns the simple game into a larger
Assuming I’m going to be them easy pickings when you're ESRB: EVERYONE
experience, but it’s also the only way
there a while, ГІЇ choose tasked with disabling their vehicles.
Asthe title implies, Deca Sports to unlock the minigames, which turns
games with some longevity: Beyond the relatively short
Extreme offers 10 sports to play, this entry in the traditionally quick-hit
Ogre Battle 64, WWF No Mercy, and Story mode, Driver Renegade
ranging from mildly addictive (tennis, series into a bit ofagrind. And sadly,
Магїо Кагї 64. vilalso bring the origi- includes a Career mode wherein
bowling, soccer, basketball, and the dead-simple games themselves
па! Paper Mario since | haven't played you compete in seven different
trampoline) to dull and frustrating lack much of the charm, spark, and
it before. race types to earn experience,
(sumo wrestling and hockey). The ingenuity of the older Mama entries.
unlock cars, and achieve high
controls are simple and responsive —ANDREWH.
Scores that you can share with your
(except in hockey, in which intended
friends via StreetPass. This sounds
shots on goal become passes), allowing
good in theory, but as with the rest
people of all ages to pick up and play.
ofthe game, it's never actually
unfortunately, the sports lack the
fun. —JUSTIN c.

SEPTEMBER 2011 n
 POS 4/4
LAP 1/2

+ 50 mipmap + 30

Sten on the Brakes

second player. When applicable,
you can have a buddy use the
radar or point the reticle, allow-
ing you to focus on driving. Your
partner can also drop in as a
gunner at any time, although,
guy, crime lord Solomon Caine. In addition, the idiocy of the oddly, gunfire typically won't
DRIVER SAN FRANCISCO However, the game's generic game's Al is so profound that it's hurt or even deter enemies.
plotline takes an absurd amount almost funny, especially when Other multiplayer activities—
of time (and numberof missions) no one thinks to get out of the which support up to four play-
PLATFORM: Wii
PUBLISHER: UBISOFT to thicken. And the cut-scenes way when you fire at them with ers—consist of bland minigames
DEVELOPER; UBISOFT REFLECTIONS certainly don't do much to pique a machine gun while driving at such as head-to-head races,
ESRB: TEEN
your interest, as you're either reckless speeds. capture-the-flag, and pass-the-
In an attempt to bring the Driver viewing comic-book-style panels At least the gameplay is bomb (think hot potato) modes.
franchise back to its critically or staring at the side of your fast-paced. Each individual There are a few side co-op
acclaimed beginnings, Ubisoft vehicle while characters talk. pursues his goals by driving as missions, too, but they wear thin
Reflections brings us series Further adding to the fast as possible, and there are after their first playthrough.
prequel Driver San Francisco. In monotony is the fact that the plenty of high-speed chases, The more I played of Driver
this installment, you're confined game tends to overuse mission police-evasion scenarios, and San Francisco, the more disap-
to an automobile in a Grand objectives. Attempts to spice up gang races to keep you busy. pointed I became. At first it
Theft Auto-style open-world these assignments by incorpo- The handling of your car is fairly was easy to overlook the lack
San Francisco, using your rating different controller func- smooth and maintains a classic of polish, and | was charmed
vehicle to race and/or wreck tions—such as aiming the reticle Driver feel, making something by the vehicle handling and the
criminals and cops. to record phone conversations, as simple as cruising around a car chases. Nonetheless, the
The narrative is told from three tilting the controller upward to joy. Plus, the game has a few sluggish story and repetitive
different perspectives, which is manipulate a radar signal, and on-rail segments in which you assignments made me feel like
supposed to keep things varied. flicking the controllertoram get to shoot and explode enemy the game would never come
As undercover cops John Tanner into cars—feel unnecessary and cars. They're arguably the most to a close. At the end of the
and Tobias Jones, you're ona quickly become a nuisance. fun the game has to offer, other day, there just isn't anything
mission to end the city's gang Although it’s satisfying to smash than the assignments in which spectacular about this release.
violence and avenge the death into other vehicles, the gestures you're required to chase down Given how lousy its recent
of Tanner's fallen partner. You required are often misread by and destroy moving vehicles. games have been, perhaps the
also get to play from the perspec- the Wii Remote controller, mak- The story mode is made bet- Driver franchise should hit the
tive ofthe game's primary bad ing such missions frustrating. ter when you're playing with a road. —copv м.

n NINTENDO POWER
 LICK OF THE DAY
A MUST-HAVE APP FOR EVERY GUITARIST
from the brilliant minds atG

10:43 PM Not Charging e

Texas Playboy Swing
st leks every day, directly trom HOSTED ву. P : 7 EE
Jimmy Brown

Shreddin' Like Dixie

= Classic Blues Turnaround
Performance
^
notes” .
ing Boxos Speod Picking :
е” a GUITAR WORLD -
-use it 00

—
Sliding B. 5 а Picki = written by

theiPhoneand
iPod touch, too: да 4 (ere dia Uh
тея High-quality video
Р
«Ее demonstrations
| with full-screen
а %В въз 19-9— = ч = option!
+ 13-12-10

Chromatic Pjcking
x Ea jsp
TES БЕЙ Ел КИП ESSET 1)
ei lel jel 101
TRES БҮ; Б 27)
прави ROSESБЕЛИTS MS 272
Standard Tuning -Difficulty: Medium.

а анна)

Hundreds of licks in all Standard and tab music Practice mode lets you
styles - rock, metal, blues, notation for each lick that control tempo, looping
country, jazz-withanew -scrolls in sync with the video and metronome
lick delivered every day

е Jeff Beck Style Country Lick

E. Available on the

0 AppStore DOWNLOAD AND TRY IT FOR FREE!

Find out more at LickoftheDayApp.com
 Саши ||5соке:[0003 410)
Spa вт,

odd when you're managing

Massive Fu
only one Kirby, but it makes a
lot of sense when you factor
in multiple puffballs. As you
go through each level, you eat
pieces of fruit; you acquire a
new Kirby for every 100 pieces
you consume. By the time you
have 10 Kirbys in your arsenal,
which appears in the shape and start pummeling it with you're glad that you don't
KIRBY MASS ATTACK of a star-to safety. Instead his fists, as he doesn't have his have direct control over all of
of controlling the diminutive famous Copy Abilities this time them, as it would slow down
rose-colored hero directly, you around. You can also slide the the overall pace of the game
PLATFORM: NINTENDO DS
PUBLISHER: NINTENDO are in charge of his heart. If stylus over Kirby to fling him considerably. The real-time
DEVELOPER: HALLABORATORY you tap a location on the touch into baddies and breakable strategy approach in this title
ESRB: EVERYONE
screen, Kirby will march on objects. Holding the stylus on works well for the most part
If one Kirby is cool, are 10 over to wherever you tapped; the screen allows the little guy and is simple enough for most
Kirbys cooler? That's a ques- double-tap with the stylus, and to grab onto the star, enabling gamers to get the hang of fairly
tion posed by Kirby Mass he'll run. When you tap on an you to carry him to otherwise- quickly. Having said that, | wish
Attack, a side-scrollingtitle enemy, Kirby will jump onto it unreachable destinations. the Kirbys wouldn't freelance
that combines gameplay The control scheme feels quite as much as they do; for
features from platformers and
real-time strategy games. In
this stylus-controlled adven-
ture, you have a squad of up
to 10 Kirbys at your disposal,
which you use to defeat the
forces of evil as you go on
your quest to reconstitute the
pink protagonist.
See, Kirby is relaxing on
the Popopo Islands when a
dastardly fiend by the name of
Necrodeus appears out of the
blue and uses his magic staff
to divide the puffball into 10
little Kirbys. All but one of the
Kirbys is dispatched; the lone
survivor follows his heart—

16 NINTENDO POWER
 ISI VIEWS
MVVS
t юш WHAT'S PLAYING NOW

Mass Extras
Collecting medals unlocks bonus content the
game calls Extras. There are 14 Extras in all,
many of which are minigames, including the
whack-a-mole-ish Field Frenzy, the pinball-style
Kirby Brawlball, and—one of my favorites—the
vertical-scrolling shooter Strato Patrol EOS.
Bm. ww

your efforts (see the sidebar). on a handheld at some point;

ultimately, | feel that 10 but considering how much I
Kirbys are not better than a enjoyed Kirby Mass Attack,
normal-size, ability-copying 1 would gladly welcome
example, a couple of them the pink fellows stop attacking
one, but Kirby Mass Attack is another unconventional Kirby
would occasionally head down and rejoin the puffball posse
anice addition to the series adventure. —JusTIN c.
a path that І didn't want them because І accidentally double-
nonetheless. The way this title
to take, so I'd have to either tapped the stylus on the swarm
utilizes the touch screen as
backtrack a bit to get the band of Kirbys on which I was swip-
the sole means of control is a
back together or just abandon ing. (This is more my lack of
pretty creative use of one of
the stragglers if there was no precision than the game's, but
the Nintendo DS system's key
way to reunite the pack. Also it can still be an annoyance.)
features. For nostalgia's sake,
bothersome is when | would Still, these are minor irrita-
1 would like to see a return to
try to rapidly launch Kirbys at tions in an otherwise fun-filled
the classic Kirby gameplay
asingle enemy, only to have adventure. Virtually everything
about Kirby Mass Attack is
solid, from the catchy tunes to
thesharp 2D graphics to the
sheer variety of levels. Forests,
deserts, haunted houses, giant
pachinko machines-it's all
here. And not only does the
game feature a lot of stages,
but each stage has a handful of
medals to collect. Finding each
medal can be tricky—you have
to scour the level for hidden
areas, and some medals can
be obtained only by meeting a
quota of Kirbys to open up new
sections—but you are rewarded
with some fun minigames for

SEPTEMBER 2011 T
 Keisuke
Еи"
You don't understand. I'm not
Initiative £0 ў doing anything wrong... I'm
standing up for what's right.
Гнерруетепі. to 7. Devil Speed: Тетрог

Devilishly Good
SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI:
and several endings, the story don’t miss their aim, though.
is compelling and the dialog is This game's interesting art style
DEVIL SURVIVOR well written—even if some of the looked good on the DS, and
But it's the strategic, turn-
OVERCLOCKED newly added voice acting seems it's even more eye-catching on
based combat combined with
Pokémon-style demon-collecting
a little off the mark. N3DS (although beyond the intro
that really makes the game
PLATFORM: NINTENDO 305 The redrawn, higher- movie there's no stereoscopic
stand out. There's a wide array
PUBLISHER: ATLUS.
resolution visuals definitely 3D effect to speak of).
DEVELOPER: ATLUS
of demons to battle and collect
ESRB: TEEN
(more than in the DS version),
The first strategy-RPG for the and their unique powers make it
Nintendo 3DS system is an possible to change up your battle
update to one of the best on Genma Tschaggatta style to meet any challenge. If
that handheld’s predecessor. 60 Exp: 0/ 12810 something's not quite working,
Originally released in 2009 on 504/504 you can buy new demons at a
Nintendo DS, Shin Megami Tensei: virtual auction house or fuse two
Devil Survivor has returned in together to make an even better
Overclocked form—meaning battler. This adds a lot of depth
revamped graphics, fully voiced Fire Amp toagame that's already pretty
dialog, and beefed-up game- substantial, if a little on the dif-
play—but underneath it's still the icult side at times.
same great game we reviewed a While the graphics, sound,
couple of years ago. and gameplay have all gotten
The plot centers on a group of bumps for the Overclocked
Japanese high-school kids tossed release, some elements are still
in the middle of a supernatural a bit rough. The game's map,
crisis that has brought Tokyo or instance, is still full of travel
to a standstill. Using some very destinations that have no bearing
specially modified handheld on the story. It's also possible
computers, they're able to fight tolose a plot thread entirely
the demons that are overrunning because of a quick decision you
the city by summoning their ad to make in the story. These
own. As if that weren't enough, gripes don't significantly bring
the band of unlikely heroes is down what is an otherwise top-
working under a time limit—if notch work of storytelling and
they can't save the world in gameplay. You'll want to play this
seven days (although there's an one even if you've beaten the
eighth added for this remake) non-Overclocked version more
they're toast. Packed with twists than once. CRANDY N.

18 NINTENDO POWER
 EVERYONE

CONTENT RATED BY
ESRB

works: First Mop,

88E š š в z > E
 Putting on те Dog
РР а ЕС

cute animal heroes would color world, and imaginative

SOLATOROBO: be replaced by brooding mishmash of genres seem com-
RED THE HUNTER teenagers and grim space pletely out of place in 2011, but
marines, that hand-drawn that only adds to its appeal. little quirks, like the way most
backdrops would give way to Titular hero Red Savarin is are named after European
PLATFORM: NINTENDODS
PUBLISHER: XSEED polygonal environments, and an adventurer, an airship pilot, desserts and greet each other
DEVELOPER: CYBERCONNECT2 that publishers would slavishly and seemingly some sort of with brief voice samples in
ESRB: EVERYONE 10+
adhere to a handful of proven German-shepherd mix. While French. The dozen orso islands
Twenty years ago, if you had genre templates? Yet somehow robbing an enemy vessel, he that are the game's ports of call
asked me to imagine the developer CyberConnect2 discovers a mysterious child are beautifully illustrated and
future of gaming, | might have has swum against all of these (er... puppy?) named Elh, who imaginatively designed, crafted
envisioned something like tides to create Solatorobo, a offers him the bounty ofa with a unique combination of
the brightly detailed worlds game that captures the bold, lifetime to help save the world. two-dimensional artwork and
and intricate gameplay of experimental spirit of the NES The game's story is pretty 3D geometry. Solatorobo's
Solatorobo. Little could | have era with some of the finest generic, but its cast members
known how much gaming production values ever seen will win you over with their
tastes would change-who on the Nintendo DS. Its furry
could have foreseen that animal heroes, bright water-

80 NINTENDO POWER
 эЛ АШАДЫ
* mE WS
шш WHAT'S PLAYING NOW

you to replay something twice.

Its 20-hour quest is padded
with a few more conversation
scenes than it needs, but other
than that it’s a fast-paced,
high-energy game that will
never bore you with needless
repetition or confuse you with
arms that can lift foes, hurl throw in enough diversions to unclear objectives.
them at each other, slam them ensure that the core gameplay Solatorobo was clearly a
into the ground, or pluck their of town exploration, dungeon labor of love for its develop-
world is a lot of fun to explore, projectiles out of midair. The navigation, and mech combat ers, and their enthusiasm
with each island offering some- battle system is smooth, intui- never grows tiresome. The for its world, characters,
thing creative and interesting tive, and а ton of fun to play. | developers have also done a and play mechanics shines
instead of the usual video-game wish there were a little more fine job of designing quests through in every moment of
standbys of ice continents, depth to it, but a good variety that avoid the usual RPG the game. Whatdifferentiates
desert continents, and so on. of enemies keeps it interesting busywork. Instead of "kill 10 this title from so many other
Solatorobo is structured like even once you've mastered its of this enemy"and "collect 10 experimental video games and
an RPG, with an agency in each intricacies. The game is also of this item” drudgery, they're indie-studio passion projects
town that offers brief quests to rich with minigames in which new boss fights, simple puzzles, s the expertise of the team
raise your hunter rank, which you can hover across a sea of midair escort missions, and at CyberConnect2, which has
in turn allows you to accept tiny islands, fly in an aerial race the like. plenty of high-budget titles
the larger quests necessary that includes Mario Kart-style Don’t expect much of a chal- under its belt and knows
to advance the game's story. items, or harpoon and reel lenge from Solatorobo, though; exactly how to set an upbeat
This mixture of bite-sized tasks in giant flying crabs. Some of few enemies are strong enough pace, fit in a generous amount
and meatier story missions is these minigames are fun, some to kill you, and the game's of content, and polish up game-
ideal for on-the-go gaming, are not, but the developers puzzles and dungeons are play to make it intuitive and
offering ways to make mean- easy enough for interesting for players of all
ingful progress with whatever children to handle. ages. Furry heroes, artsy visu-
amount of time you have to In other games the als, and a murky mix of genres
invest in the game. low difficulty curve may make for a tough market-
Despite its RPG flow, the might be a major ing challenge, but if XSEED and
dungeons and combat scenes flaw, but it works out CyberConnect2 can manage
in Solatorobo feature real-time OK in Solatorobo, to get this well-made game
beat-'em-up action. Red typi- a game that would into the hands of open-minded
cally fights from the chassis of much rather pull players, | doubt that many will
a mech that has no weapons you toward its next be able to resist Solatorobo's
aside from powerful hydraulic attraction than force charms. —casey L.

SEPTEMBER 2011 8l
 1531 VIEWS
TER МУ
ши |WHAT'S PLAYING NOW

[nnnucucu

BIT.TRIP COMPLETE

BIT.TRIP COMPLETE FACE RACERS: PHOTO FINISH

flicking, or tracing on the touch screen,

as dictated by onscreen indicators—is
BIT.TRIP COMPLETE
fun, but it's devoid of challenge. There's
also a strange disconnect in the
PLATFORM: Wii gameplay since all the icons that you
PUBLISHER: AKSYS GAMES
DEVELOPER: GAIJIN GAMES must react to appear on the top screen,
ESRB: EVERYONE
yet you interact with only the bottom
Bit.Trip Complete pulls together all six screen. A hard mode makes things a
titles in Gaijin Games’s retro-inspired, bit more fun, but it becomes available
genre-smashing Bit.Trip series on only after you play through the game
one Wii disc, and you're not likely to опсе. —CHRIS н.
find a compilation that offers a more

Trippier than Ever

diverse selection of games—or a more
entertaining overall experience. Despite
their fairly disparate play styles—two
Pong-like games, one platformer, and
and over until you can master three different twists on the shooter

BIT.TRIP SAGA their confounding patterns. genre-all of the games are exception-
Fortunately, the games are ally executed and wonderfully weird,
challenging for the right with fantastic 8-bit-inspired visuals
PLATFORM: NINTENDO 305
PUBLISHER: AKSYS GAMES reasons. The WiiWare iterations and sound. This collection adds some
DEVELOPER: БАМІМ GAMES of Pong-style games Bit.Trip challenge stages and, for those not FACE RACERS: PHOTO
ESRB: EVERYONE
Beat and Bit.Trip Flux featured born with a controller in their hands, a FINISH
The Bit.Trip games-featuring finicky motion controls, but more merciful difficulty setting so that
retro-style graphics, existential- that’s alleviated with the everyone can enjoy the fantastic sights PLATFORM: NINTENDO 305
PUBLISHER: MAJESCO
ist themes, chiptune-inspired ultraresponsive touch-screen and sounds, and the "just one more go" DEVELOPER: RENEGADEKID
techno soundtracks, and simple controls ofthe Bit.Trip Saga fun they have to offer. CRANDY N. ESRB: EVERYONE
gameplay that harks back to versions (though they're still Brought to you by the developer of
the days of yore-have always far from easy; the action got so
been pretty crazy. Now, with fierce the stylus almost had to GABRIELLE'S GHOSTLY innovative Nintendo DS titles such as

the addition of 3D visuals, the be surgically removed from my GROOVE 3D Moon and Dementium, Face Racers:
Photo Finish is а lackluster kart racer
games in handheld compilation grip). Naturally, the quality of that takes its cues from—what else?-the
Bit.Trip Saga are crazier than the six games varies. Platformer PLATFORM: NINTENDO 305 Mario Kart franchise. But here's its sell-
PUBLISHER: NATSUME
ever. Not that you'll have a lot of Bit.Trip Runner and on-rails DEVELOPER: SANTA ENTERTAINMENT ing point: the game plasters your face
time to admire the extratrippy shooter Bit.Trip Flux-the most ESRB: EVERYONE
over the driver’s with photos taken by
effects—all six entries in this col- modern-feeling components of the Nintendo 3DS Camera. Admittedly,
With its quirky characters, oddball story
lection are intense, and you're the collection—are far and away this gimmick is amusing; other than
(the heroine sneezes her soul out of her
probably going to be spending my favorites, while the unfor- that, however, Face Racers embodies
body?), and Elite Beat Agents-inspired
so much attention focusing giving nature of Bit.Trip Core the barebones basics of kart-racing-a
gameplay, Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove 3D
on your paddle, character, or (basically a rhythmic shooter) maximum of four competitors can race
seemed poised to be something special.
targeting cursor that you'll have kept me at bay, but each game ata time, and you can't drift or shoot
Unfortunately, that’s about all the game
little chance to breathe, let delivers its own brand of fun. items behind you. Generic power-ups,
has going for it. The plot turns into
alone admire the visuals. Just It's just too bad that Bit.Trip atrocious graphics, and an abundance
sickeningly saccharine drivel after a few
like the Bit.Trip games’ WiiWare Saga doesn't include the bonus of recycled textures certainly don't help
stages, and the tunes that aren't public
counterparts, these titles are content and variable difficulty the game's case. Renegade Kid, you've
domain are thoroughly forgettable. The
not for the easily frustrated; settings of Bit.Trip Complete got some 'splaining to do. —CODY M.
basic gameplay—rhythmically tapping,
expect to replay levels over for Wii. -снн15 н.

82 NINTENDO POWER
 S E в =< е 5
u 0 Ё ü

© 2006 ESRB. All rights reserved.

 Monster Scout Championship,
he stows away on a flying
airship, which unexpectedly
crash-lands on an island teem-
ing with beasties. Now tasked

0 Laughing Matter
with finding the ship's captain
and scattered passengers, it's
up to you to explore the various
regions of the island.
Your monsters are essential
to advancing through the story,
up to six monsters (three can be protagonist—your character is a so you can expect to invest
DRAGON QUEST used in battle while the others young spiky-haired fellow who alot of time and energy into
MONSTERS: JOKER 2 are kept in reserve), and you aspires to train a team of mon-
command your team using a sters and become the very best
turn-based fighting system. Monster Scout of them all. In an
PLATFORM: NINTENDO DS
PUBLISHER: NINTENDO DQMJ2 begins with a clichéd attempt to get to the renowned
DEVELOPER: SQUARE ENIX
ESRB: EVERYONE

It's been nearly four years since

the release of Dragon Quest
Monsters: Joker on Nintendo
DS, a title that delighted fans
ofthe Dragon Quest Monsters
games with its polygonal
graphics and improvements on
monster-collecting. If you're
unfamiliar with this somewhat
esoteric subseries, however, all
you really need to know is that
Dragon Quest Monsters is a
creature-capturing and -train-
ing RPG that includes elements
from the mainline Dragon Quest
games. You construct a party of

84 NINTENDO POWER
 ЊУ а YAE М У [LN
I>! МЕ WS
юш WHAT'S PLAYING NOW

ering with your roster. То Joker 2 is only halfway over at

capture an enemy creature, you that point. In addition to various
command your active team to Side quests and tournaments
"scout," or demonstrate a non- still remaining after the story,
lethal display of strength. Each you'll have more than half of the
beast's attack display equates game's varmints left to collect,
to a percentage, and the sum of including the legendary mega-
the beasts' percentages deter- beasts you initially ran away
mines the chance that the tar- from. Since backtracking is a
get will be intimidated enough breeze with your character's
to join you. It's a nice change teleportation skills, you'll want
of pace from the traditional to spend hours scouring each
weaken/capture systems of region for new beasts, rebuild-
other monster-trainer games. ing your team with different
However, you'll need to cre- combinations, and exploring
ate monsters to truly maximize every nook and cranny of the
your party. Synthesis- combin- island for hidden items. simple progression gives pur- Quest Monsters: Joker2charm-
ingtwo beasts to create a more Players can also pit their pose to your monster-training, ing, but the focus on grinding
powerful one—allows you to monster teams against each but it does no favors for players and collecting might turn off
obtain stronger creatures than other in both online and local rying to immerse themselves casual players. The game's
those found in the wild, and is wireless battles, and those who in the adventure. There are sluggish pacing and lack of a
a key element in strengthening connect with Tag Mode can no towns, either, and the compelling story certainly cre-
your team. Each monster has scout each other's monsters. characters you meet are mostly ate a high barrierto entry if you
unique stats and abilities that Tag Mode even works with orgettable. Furthermore, the aren't already a fan of this type
it passes down to the offspring, copies of Dragon Quest VI and music could use a bit more vari- of game. If you can endure the
so there's plenty of room for IX, allowing you to scout the ety, asthe same bland melodies grind, however, you'll find that
customizing your creations (and monsters in those games, too. are often recycled. having an earth-shattering trio
merging the tougher ones). The Unfortunately, the slow- Monster-training fans will of beasts at your disposal is well
game really becomes a joy once paced plot (roughly 20 hours ind the niche vibe in Dragon worth the trouble. -copv м.
you synthesize your first pow- in length) isn't very deep. In
erhouse, allowing you to crush addition, building your ever-
your opponents. But potency changing party of monsters
comes with a price. To create constantly demands your
alevel-one monster, each par- attention, so there isn't a lot of
ent must be at least level ten, human-character development
which means there'll be plenty orrich dialogue. The story's
of repetitive level-grinding
throughout your journey.
With the game's smorgas-
bord of different creatures
to scout and synthesize, con-
structing your crew is addictive
through the very end of the
story-and then some. Stopping
at the credits leaves you want-
ing more, and you're in luck;

SEPTEMBER 2011 85
REVIEWS ARCHIVE
THE COMPLETE LIST DF ПИТЕПОО POWER REVIEWS FROM THE PAST МЕНЕ NE SCORES REFLECT INDIVIDUAL REVIEWERS OPINIONS

NASCAR 2011: 3.0 Activision 269 E Tom Clancy's Ubisoft 262

Wi The Game Ghost Recon
TITLE SCORE PUBLISHER vol. ESRB 2K Sports 266
МВА 2K11 6.5 2KSports 261 E Top Spin 4
Arc Rise Fantasia 7.5 Ignition 256 T
NBA Jam 9.0 Electronic Arts 260 E Tournament Sega 257
Batman: The Brave 7.0 Warner Bros. 260 Е10+ E of Legends
and the Bold: NHL Slapshot 6.0 Electronic Arts 259
Pac-Man Party 4.5 Namco Bandai 262 Е10+ Toy Story 3: Disney 257
The Video Game
Pirates Plundarrr 4.0 Majesco 255 Е10+ The Video Game
Captain America: 5.5 Sega 270
Super Soldier E Transformers: Activision 258
PokéPark 7.5 Nintendo 261
Cybertron
Cars 2: 7.0 Disney 269 Wii: Pikachu's
The Video Game Adventures
Adventure
Conduit 2 7.5 Sega 266 T Transformers: Activision 270
Prince of Persia: 8.0 Ubisoft 255
Dark of the Мооп-
Create 5.0 Electronic Arts 262 The Forgotten
Stealth Force
de Blob 2 8.0 THQ 265 Sands Edition
Deca Sports 3 4.5 Hudson 261 Rango 5.0 Paramount 266 TRON: Evolution— Disney 263
Despicable Me: 4.0 D3Publisher 258 Raving Rabbids 6.5 Ubisoft 262 но» Battle Grids
The Game Travel In Time Virtua Tennis 4 Sega 267
DJ Hero2 9.0 Activision 262 Rio 4.0 THQ 267 Е Wii Party Nintendo 260
Donkey Kong
Country Returns
8.5 Nintendo 262 Rock Band 3 9.0 MTV 261 Т ші Play: Motion Nintendo 268
Sam & Max: 8.0 Atari 255 i Worms: 70 THQ 264
Epic Mickey 8.5 Disney 263 Beyond Time Battle Islands
FIFA Soccer 11 8.0 Electronic Arts 260 and Space 266
T WWEAII Stars THQ
FlingSmash 75 Nintendo 261 SamuraiWarriors3 6.0 Nintendo 260
THQ 262
WWE SmackDown
Flip's Twisted 6.0 Majesco 260 SengokuBasara: 7.0 Capcom 261 T vs. Raw 2011
World Samurai Heroes
GoldenEye 007 8.5 Activision 262 Sid Meier’s 8.5 2KGames 260 E10+
Green Day: 8.0 MTV 256 Pirates!
Rock Band Sin and 9.0 Nintendo 257 it
Punishment: Atari's Greatest Atari
Green Lantern: 4.0 Warner Bros. 270
Hits Vol.1
Rise of the Star Successor
Manhunters Sonic Colors 9.0 Sega 261 E ATV Wild Ride Destineer
Guilty Party 7.0 Disney 259 260 Blue Dragon: D3Publisher
Spider-Man: 8.0 Activision
Awakened Shadow
Guitar Hero: 8.0 MTV 261 Shattered
Warriors of Rock Dimensions Captain America: Sega
E Super Soldier
Gunblade NY & 5.5 Sega 259 SpongeBob 7.0 THQ 266
LA Machineguns SquigglePants Crafting Mama Majesco
Arcade Hits Pack Star Wars: 8.0 LucasArts 261 T deBlob2 THQ
Harry Potter 4.0 Electronic Arts 262 The Force Despicable Me: D3Publisher
and the Deathly UnleashedII The Game-
Hallows-Part 1 E Minion Mayhem
Super Mario 9.0 Nintendo 263
Iron Man2 4.0 Sega 256
All-Stars Dragon Ball: Namco Bandai
Ivy the Kiwi? 7.5 XSEED 259 E Origins 2
Super Mario 9.5 Nintendo 256
Kirby'sEpicYarn 8.5 Nintendo 261 Dragon Quest Nintendo 265
Galaxy2
Kung Fu Panda 2 2.5 THQ 268 VI: Realms of
Swords 5.0 Majesco 260 T Revelation
The Last Airbender 6.0 THQ 257 Thor: God 5.5 Sega 267 T Dragon Quest IX: Nintendo 257
LEGO Harry 7.5 Warner Bros. 257 of Thunder Sentinels of the
Potter: Years 1-4 Tiger Woods 9.0 Electronic Arts 256 E Starry Skies
LEGO Pirates of 7.0 Disney 268 PGA Tour 11 Etrian Odyssey ПІ: Altus 260 Е10+
the Caribbean: Tiger Woods 8.5 Electronic Arts 266 Е The Drowned City
The Video Game Е10+
PGATour12: Final Fantasy: The Square Enix 260
LEGO Star Wars 1: 8.0 LucasArts 266 The Masters 4 Heroes of Light
The Clone Wars
Legend of the 4.5 Warner Bros. 260
Guardians: The
Owls of Ga'Hoole MORE ОП:
The Lord of 5.5 260
TRANSFORMERS:
Warner Bros.
the Rings:
Aragorn’s Quest
Lost In Shadow 8.0 Hudson 263 DARK OF THE MOON—AUTOBOTS
Madden NFL 11 8.5 Electronic Arts 258
Mario Sports Mix 8.0 Nintendo 264 One the plus side, you can actually
Metroid:OtherM
Michael Jackson:
8.5
6.5
Nintendo
Ubisoft
259
262
change from a robot into a car and back
The Experience again in this edition of Transformers:
MySims Skyheroes 7.5 Electronic Arts 260
Mystery Case 6.0 Nintendo 269 Dark of the Moon, which isa step up from the
Files: The
Malgrave Incident vehicle-centric Wii and Nintendo 3DS versions.
Namco Museum
Megamix
5.0 Namco Bandai 261
Unfortunately, everything else about this game
Naruto Shippuden:
Dragon Blade
4.5 Tomy 262 belongs on planet Junkion. — JUSTIN С.
Chronicles
 Kung Fu Panda2 4.5 THQ 268 Tetris Party Majesco 256 E
The Last Airbender 7.5 THQ 257 Deluxe
LEGO Battles: 7.5 Warner Bros. 267 Thor: Sega 267 Е10+
Ninjago God of Thunder
LEGO Star Wars ПІ: LucasArts 266 Transformers: Activision 270 Е10+
The Clone Wars Dark of the
Lufia : Curse of Natsume 260 Moon-Autobots/
the Sinistrals Decepticons
Mario vs. Donkey Nintendo 262 Transformers: 7.0 Activision 258 Е10+
Kong: Mini-Land War for Cybertron
Mayhem! TRON: Evolution 6.5 Disney 263 Е10+
Mega Man Zero 9.0 Capcom 256
Collection Nintendo 308
Monster Tale 8.0 Majesco 265 JLISHER. үш. |
Naruto Shippuden: 5.0 Tomy 262 Asphalt 3D 6.0 Ubisoft 266 ElO+
Naruto vs. Sasuke BlazBlue: 8.5 Aksys 268 Т
Naruto 6.0 Tomy 264 Continuum Shift 11
Shippuden: Cartoon Network 70 Crave 267 Е10+
Shinobi Rumble Punch Time
Nine Hours, 9.0 Aksys 262 Explosion
Nine Persons, Cubic Ninja 4.0 Ubisoft 268
Nine Doors Dead or Alive 9.0 Тесто Koei 262 T
Okamiden Capcom 265 Dimensions
Plants vs. PopCap 264 Dual Pen Sports 7.0 Namco Bandai 270 Е10+
Zombies Green Lantern: 4.0 Warner Bros. 270 Е10+
Pokémon Black Nintendo 265 Rise of the
and Pokémon Manhunters
White Versions The Legend of 9.5 Nintendo 268 Е10+
Pokémon Ranger: Nintendo 260 Zelda: Ocarina
Guardian Signs of Time 3D
Professor Nintendo 260 LEGO Star Wars Ш: 8.5 LucasArts 266 Е10+
Layton and the The Clone Wars
Unwound Future Madden NFL 6.0 ElectronicArts 266 Е
Puzzle Quest2 D3Publisher Football
Radiant Historia Atlus nintendogs «cats 7.5 Nintendo 266 E
Ghost Trick: 9.0 Capcom Rango Paramount PacMan&Galaga 7.0 NamcoBandai 269 Е10+
Phantom Dimensions
Rio THQ
Detective PilotwingsResort 8.0 Nintendo 266 E
River City Aksys
Giana Sisters DS 9.0 Destineer Soccer Hooligans Pinball Hall of 7.0 Crave 268 Е10+
Golden Sun: 8.0 Nintendo Fame: The Williams
River City Super Aksys
Dark Dawn Collection 3D
Sports Challenge
Green Lantern: Rabbids Travel 6.5 Ubisoft 267 E
3.5 Warner Bros. Rune Factory3: Natsume in Time 3D
Rise of the AFantasy
Manhunters Harvest Moon Rayman 3D 8.0 Ubisoft 266 E
Harvest Moon: 6.0 Natsume Sonic Colors Sega
Reel Fishing 6.0 Natsume 269 E
Grand Bazaar Paradise 3D
Spider-Man: Activision
Iron Man2 6.5 Sega Resident Evil: The 7.5 Capcom 269 M
Shattered
Ivy the Kiwi? 7.0 XSEED Mercenaries 3D
Dimensions
Kingdom Hearts Ridge Racer 3D 8.0 NamcoBandai 266 E
8.0 SquareEnix Super Warner Bros.
Re:coded Scribblenauts Samurai Warriors: 7.0 Тесто Кое! 266 T
Chronicles
The Sims 3 70 ElectronicArts 266 Т
MORE ОП: SpongeBob 7.5 THQ ДӨ ЗЕ
SquigglePants
DUAL PEN SPORTS Steel Diver
Super Monkey
8.0
7.5
Nintendo
Sega
266
266
Е10+
Е
It's slightly irritating that Ball 3D
Super Street 9.0 Capcom 266 T
you need a flat surface Fighter IV
3D Edition
in order to play properly, Tom Clancy's 8.0 Ubisoft 266 T
Ghost Recon:
but Dual Pen Sports is rather Shadow Wars
entertaining. You'll be charmed by Tom Clancy's
Splinter Cell 3D
5.5 Ubisoft 262 T

the title's bubbly music and cutesy graphics right off the bat, and most of its Transformers:
Dark of the Мооп-
4.0 Activision 270 Е10+

activities are amusing enough to revisit more than a few times. Using two Stealth Force
Edition
Styluses is challenging at first, but the game's fun training exercises help
you get used to the unique control scheme. — сову M.

SEPTEMBER 2011 87
\
М
ж.
МММ
SSO
A
Aw
A F<
со
==
Bm
а
сS
S
EN
SS

NINTENDO POWER
~
|

T
 IMAGINE WALKING down the street, turning a corner, and stumbling into a WRITE
Jour own
life-size scene from World 1-1 in Super Mario Bros. A group of students from
the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio, made that possible
CAPTION
when they created this sprawling mural to promote the student government's
first town-hall meeting. Measuring 16 feet high and 38 feet wide, this interac-
tive painting took a dozen students and eight days of work to complete.
The Super Mario Bros. scene was a perfect metaphor for campus involve-
ment in student government, says CCAD grad Kenay Kash, 22, who designed
the mural and worked on the project with his classmates.
"ultimately, students control their college experience if they participate
in the discussion, like a player controls a video game," he says. "The mural
invited students to participate by posing in the landscape to complete
the image. Participants could stomp a Goomba, shoot a fireball, or press
buttons to ‘control’ their friends. | didn't consider the mural complete until
participants posed in front of it."
Though it was up for only three months to promote the town-hall-meeting
event, Kash says it was a fun project that drew a lot of positive student
attention. —NATHAN M.

We've seen fans express their adoration for games in of interesting ways,
but we haven't seen many pieces that are as interactive as this one.

TAKE
your best
SHOT [email protected]. |

THIS MONTH'S THEME: SUMMER VACATION

ABOVE and BEYOND

Got art, cosplay, case mods, etc.? Send them to us
via email to [email protected]
or via snail mail to Nintendo Power/Community c/o
Future US, 4000 Shoreline Court, STE 400, South
San Francisco, CA 94080. We'll print the best stuff!
 ЕМЕНТ

Theatrical
as a [0Х
A Star Fox 64 in-joke spirals into a full-
fledged play for a group ofcollege students.
IT MIGHT BE the year of the
rabbit, but don’t tell Peppy
the game world itself.” The
game's events are played for
The Legend of SpOntanius
Hare that: in his world it’s laughs, and it works.
Scope ou tthis stunning st notion
clearly the year of the fox—Fox Part of what makes the show
McCloud, that is. Not only is so funny is, of course, its writ- tribute to The Legend ofZelda series.
Star Fox 64 getting the grand ing. But the spratan stage setup
treatment with a Nintendo 3DS and costuming—cardboard JARED JAMIESON has a
remake, but earlier this year boxes were modified to knack for boggling minds
a group of Hampshire College become wearable Arwings— and producing laughs.
students performed Barrel Rolls are supplemented perfectly Blending his appreciation
& Broken Dreams—a play in two by Gin and Tonics, a campus for the Legend of Zelda
acts and three parts based on a capella group that provides series and a fondness
the N64 classic. Clocking in at live re-creations of the game's for creative stop-motion
nearly an hour and a half, the sound effects and score. camera tricks, this aspiring
play was Andrew Katzman's So why a stage play based musician and videographer
senior-thesis project, and it on Star Fox 64? Sure, it was for is perhaps better known as
took the entire school year to a project, but Katzman credits "SpOntanius"-at least in the
script, cast, rehearse, and then his inspiration to an undying Internet realm. Jamieson, 22,
finally perform. love for the game. He grew up of Virginia, runs a YouTube
“l absolutely, 100 percent, playing it and continues to do channel that showcases his music-video performances of ditties from
never lost faith," recalls so to this day. It was one day in the Zelda games in interesting and unusual ways.
Katzman. "Besides, we early 2010, though, that was “Zelda is one of those nostalgic video game series from my childhood,”
had Peppy there, at every the catalyst. He was playing the explains Jamieson, who was recently inspired to replay all of the old Zelda
rehearsal, yelling, ‘Never give game with his roommates and games in order of their release dates. “It’s amazing to find how well І
up! Trust your instincts!' So they were goofing around, dra- remembered each song without hearing them in years. Listening to the
that was a help, too." matically reading the onscreen music brought back memories and also opened up my eyes to how amaz-
The story largely recounts text. When they beat the game, ingthe score is in these games when Nintendo had to create it on such a
the plot of Star Fox 64. they started singing alongto limited platform compared to technology these days."
“In the early stages | kept the game's orchestral finale All of Jamieson's Zelda videos feature multiple filmed copies of himself
toying with using the game as a and joking that someone should performing different parts of the song. The parts are all spliced together,
jumping-off point into another turn the game into a play. and each video usually includes a slew of wacky antics. While he’s made
narrative, or tying the game Katzman recalls, "Down the several videos featuring Zelda songs performed with wine glasses, empty
world in with the real world," line the inevitable “Ме should bottles, and toy instruments, our favorite is a rendition of the classic
says Katzman. "But in the end do this! This would be the best “Palace Theme” from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link played on a guitar.
І realized the original idea was play!’ came up, and I guess Jamieson listened to the game music note by note to make sure his
best: whatever happened, it everything kind of snowballed versions were completely accurate, then recorded video clips of himself
had to [have] happened within from there.” —pAvID w. playing each part of the song one note a time. “After awhile of doing this
| figured if |didn't do something besides just play the song, the video
would be very bland,” he says. "That's when | decided to make silly faces,
spin my hat around, and even change my shirt while playing the song.”
The entire process for the “Palace Theme” video took about four
days to shoot and edit. With three different guitar parts and one
“percussion” part played by tearing paper, it took a lot of effort to edit
all of the footage together into a cohesive piece. Jamieson gets a lot
of suggestions from viewers, and he takes their feedback into account
when considering what tunes to tackle. He’s already dreaming up his
next zany video project, and is considering branching out to perform
songs from other classic Nintendo games. —NATHAN M.
As hilarious as it might be, doing a barrel roll is probably a bad idea.
 Seeing some love for Billy Hatcher made
us very happy. Thanks, Holly Segarra!

Hatcher and the Giant Egg all shine

u$ due to their colorful designs and
intricate craftsmanship.
FANDOM “They always start off witha
sketch. Without my game plan, І

Plush Perfection
could just sit there for hours like a
barnacle and not really get much
done. It's really important for me
to figure out early on which details
are going to be 'chibi-fied," shares
Segarra, borrowing a term used by
anime and manga fans to describe

Even Ganondorf and Pyramid Head seem cute and cuddly, acute and deformed design style.
Segarra says she typically
spends between two and four days
IT'S ALWAYS ENCOURAGING (0 prototyping and says she is currently York City; she’s talented and funny! ona plush project, devoting long
hear about folks honing their hobby working on undisclosed plush proj- These homemade takes on char- hours to making it as perfect as
craft and then turning it into a ects for “a few different video game acters such as Cammy from Street possible through test runs and
career, and that's exactly what hap- companies.” And on the side she Fighter, Ganondorf from The Legend revisions. A typical plush toy
pened to Holly Segarra, the creator moonlights as a comedian in New of Zelda, and the titular star of Billy requires about $20-40 worth of
of these impressively detailed materials—everything from the
plush dolls. She began constructing fluffy innards to the outer fabrics
these cushy tributes to some of her and other little details. Beyond
favorite video game characters re-creating personal favorites and
several years ago, initially just as a accepting requests from fans, she
fun thing to do. also takes on projects just to chal-
"| never really thought | would lenge herself. “I also sometimes
be plushing this long because want to attempt something
itstarted out as a hobby," says ridiculously detailed to flex my
Segarra, who began with making creative muscle,” she admits.
gifts for her boyfriend and their And she does more than plush
online pal. "A lot of people saw toys—the multitalented Segarra
them and started making all sorts sews clothing and costumes, as well
of requests. It kind of snowballed as creates comics and illustrations.
from there," she explains. You can catch another glimpse of
Now, about eight years after her skills in UDON Entertainment's
making her first plush, Segarra Mega Man Tribute art book.
does professional toy design and —ANDREW H.
 [Above] The furry textures on Mario's outfit give us an idea of what a ге:
Suit would look like. Now we wish we had a Tanooki Suit of our own!

A crafty reader puts his old Nintendo P0WE r copies

10 good use!
WHEN IT CAME time to clean collage of Yoshi, his wife's favorite more of a soul,” Lange tells us.
up his apartment, Chris Lange Nintendo character, and eventu- "It's awesome to look at one of the
couldn't bring himself to just throw ally went on to craft popular game collages, and then all of asudden,
away his old stack of Nintendo characters such as Mario, Princess something catches your eye and
Power magazines. Instead, the Peach, Bowser, and Link. He’s you notice that you are looking at
27-year-old artist from Arlington, made 20 collages in all-some have a piece of Donkey Kong or Bowser,
Virginia, came up with a creative been sold to collectors around the totally out of place. Those little
use for the magazines by turning world and others have been given surprises are fun."
their pages into these stunning away to friends as gifts. You can see images ofthe full
paper collage portraits of staple “I think using the Nintendo Nintendo collage series by visiting
Nintendo characters. That's recy- Power magazines
for these Lange's website, www.chrisjlange.
cling with power! collages is what engages the com, and checking the Galleries
Lange started by making a viewer, and gives the art a little section. —NATHAN M.
|
|

The Соп 15 0
Nintendo makes a splash а the 201 San Diego Comic-Con.
THE SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON 24. The lounge—spanning more mural, exchange StreetPass data
continues to get bigger every year, than 10,000 square feet and with other Nintendo 3DS owners,
and, unsurprisingly, Nintendo's containing more than 80 game snag free prizes (such as Zelda
presence at the annual event stations—allowed attendees to posters and Pokémon shirts),
also continues to grow by leaps play upcoming titles such as The and more. Several third-party
and bounds. Although Nintendo's Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword publishers—including Capcom,
booth on the showroom floor of (Wii), Rhythm Heaven (Wii), Super Konami, Activision, SquareEnix,
the San Diego Convention Center Mario 3D Land (N3DS), Mario Kart 7 and THQ—had booths at Comic-Con
was fairly small, next door at the (N3DS), Kid Icarus: Uprising (N3DS), as well, and many showgoers
Marriott Marquis hotel the Big N and Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker arrived dressed as their favorite
[Below] Fans dressed as Capcom
hosted a "gaming lounge" during 2 (DS). Additionally, fans were game characters, from Link and
characters Sissel, Godot, and young
all four days of the convention, able to witness the creation of a Princess Peach to Viewtiful Joe
Miles Edgeworth are ready for
which ran from July 21 to July massive Legend of Zelda chalk and Miles Edgeworth. —cHRIS H.
some Comic-Con sleuthing.

94 NINTENDO POWER
8882 5 = x = Ёz š H З www.ESRB.org
 NINTENDO POWER
(ISSN 1041-9551) is
published monthlyby
Future US, Inc., 4000
Shoreline Court, Suite 400,
South San Francisco,CA.
94080. Phone: (650) 872-
1642. Fax (650) 872-2207.
Website: www.futureus.
com. Periodicals postage
paidinSouth San
Francisco, CA andat
additional mailing offices.
Newsstand distribution is
handled by Time Warner
ЕС Retail. Subscriptions: One
year basic rate (12 issues):
US: $19.95. Canada:
Trim your mustache and dust U5$27.95. Canadian orders
must be prepaid. Canadian
off your Tanooki suit, because price includes postage and
GST (GST #R128220688).
it's finally time to leap into one PMA #40612608.
Subscriptions donot.
of the year's most anticipated include newsstand specials.

Nintendo 3DS games, Super POSTMASTER: Send

Mario 3D Land! We'll take a changes
ofaddress to:
Nintendo Power, PO Box
brand-new look at the primo 5770, Harlan, IA51593-
1270. Standard Mail
platformer and spill every Enclosure in the following
editions: None. Ride-Along
juicy detail we discover, so be Enclosure in the following
editions: None. Returns:
sure to join in the fun! Pitney Bowes, PO Box
25542, London, ON N6C
682, Canada. Future US,
Inc. also publishes@
СТОВЕВ 2011 VOL. 272 Gamer, Crochet Today!,
Guitar Aficionado, Guitar
World, Knitting Today!,
MaclLife, Maximum PC, The
Official Xbox Magazine,
PlayStation: The Official
Magazine, PCGamer,
Revolver, Windows: The
Official Magazine,
and
World of Warcraft Official
Magazine. Entire contents
copyright 2011, Future US,
Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole orin
partis prohibited. Future
US, Inc. is not affiliated
with the companies or
products covered in
Nintendo Power,
Reproduction on the
Internet of
the articles and
pictures inthismagazine is
illegal without the prior
written consent of
Nintendo Power. Products
named in the pages of
Nintendo Power are
trademarks oftheir
respective companies.
PRODUCED IN THE UNITED.
STATES OF AMERICA.

SUBSCRIBER CUSTOMER
SERVICE: Nintendo Power
Customer Care, P.0. Box
5770, Harlan, ІА 51593-
1270. Online: www.
nintendopower.com/-
customerservice. Phone:
1-866-941-8368. Email
NTNcustservi
cdsfulfillment.com.

BACK ISSUES: www.

nintendopower.com/shop ог
bycalling 1-800-865-7240.

REPRINTS: Future US, Inc.,

4000 Shoreline Court,
Suite 400, South San
Francisco, CA 94080.
Phone: (650) 872-1642. Fax
(650) 872-2207. Website:
www.futureus.com.

96 NINTENDO POWER
 Amazing app, and it's FREE!

66
THE BEST GUIDES Thank you GamesRadar for
on the internet... FEEDING MY
ALL IN ONE PLACE 99
ADDICTION 53

66 66
GamesRadar is AWESOMESAUCE!
FULL OF WIN JJ Great app. |love! J

; Think guidebooks are too heavy? Із your computer too

fey far away from your console? Do you hate standing up?
If so, download our gift to couch potatoes!

gamesradar. „ев www.futureus.com

 A 3 ашы

MI TENDS 3105.

Reminiscent of the original, Š

Cave Story" 3D Битоваajnew
sense of excitemnent"9 adventure!

Experience the original indie hit with

exclusive "paper" 2D pixel mode! Вуечейво пеш ав ватезторa power to the players

EVERYONE 10+
http://www.nisamerica.com/games/cave-story/

www.NiSAmerica.com ING АЛЕ

© 2011 NIS America, Inc. © 2011 Nicalis, Inc./Daisuke Amaya All rights reserved. Published by NIS America, Inc. Cave Story is a trademark of Nicalis, Inc. Distributed exclusively by Index Digital Media, Inc.
Nintendo 3DS is a trademark of Nintendo. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Entertainment Software Association.
 Made with love Бу

<EIKCMAG-
Ourgoal TS to presene сіа55ісімідео дате magazines SO ше
they! аге not lost permanently:

People interested in helping out in any capacity,

please visit 05 at retromags:comi.

No profitis таде от тезе зсап5, nondo we offer anything

еру ее ТӨШӘ publishers themselves:

Ifyou соте across anyone selling releases from

this site please ао по support them апа доле (ЛЕ? know:

Thank you!