Nintendo Power November ratings

[granville]

Sorry for the copy/paste here from GoNintendo. Here are the scores for games in the issue-

Phantasy Star Zero: 8
Drawn to Life 2: 7.5 (DS), 7 (Wii)
Astro Boy: 7.5
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: EoS: 8
Fifa 10: 6
Harvest Moon Sunshine Islands; 7
Atelier Annie: 8
WWE SvR 10: 7.5 (Wii), 7 (DS)
Nostalgia: 7
DBZ: Attack of the Saiyans: 8
Harvest Moon: Animal Parade: 7.5
Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo: 6.5
TMNT: Arcade Attack: 4.5
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: 5.5

Review summaries-

Phantasy Star 0-

Spoiler

Phantasy Star Ø
Reviewer: Casey L.

Pros
-"satisfying and substantial online experience"
-new evasive rolls and charge up attacks make the combat a little less simplistic (than Phantasy Star Online)
-solid story mode; more enjoyable than SP modes in previous Phantasy Star Online games
-good production values
-"reasonably compelling plot"
-multiplayer is a blast
-Co-op play is the reason to buy Phantasy Star Ø

Cons
-the interface is a disaster
-the menus are poorly designed to the point that it apparently takes away your choices in battle and hurts the overall depth
-quick swapping weapons is apparently gone, which means you have to use the aforementioned interface in order to switch from ranged attacks to melee.
-Co-op play is the only reason to buy Phantasy Star Ø

8.0

TMNT Arcade Attack-

Spoiler

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack
Reviewer: Chris Sh.

Pros
-Sometimes you'll get an interesting boss fight, sometimes
-at least the art style in the cutscenes is nice

Cons
-"no platforming, no puzzle solving, no backtracking, no nothing: you just work your way across the stage until it abruptly ends".
-enemies all look the same
-lackluster move list
-iffy play control
-button mashing
-nothing distinguises the turtles from each other, other than their headband color
-"It feels like the story took about 10 minutes to write, edit, and publish".
-gameplay has nothing to do with the plot

4.5

Astro Boy: The Video Game-

Spoiler

Astro Boy: The Video Game
Reviewer: Chris H.

Pros
-satisfying gameplay
-makes great use of the hero's powers
-well-designed stages

Cons
-boss fights, enemy reactions and recovery time all could have used a little polish
-low-res textures, simple geometry, poor lip-syncing

7.5 [/epoiler]

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky-

Spoiler

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
Reviewer: Scott P.

Pros
-best Pokemon Mystery Dungeon experience to date
-welcome small touches add additional playability and depth to the experience
-(Basically, its the 3rd version of a Pokemon game)

Cons
-are the changes significant enough to warrant the purchase?
-(Basically, its the 3rd version of a Pokemon game)

8.0

WWF Smackdown vs Raw 2010-

Spoiler

WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2010 (Wii)
Reviewer: Chris H.

Pros
-"biggest, most ambitious, most feature-rich wrestling game on the Wii"
-tons of characters, moves and match types
-rich customization options
-new WWE story creator is cool
-balanced and solid gameplay

Cons
-alot of the new features aren't as polished
-controls are almost too complex (don't use anything but the wavebird or classical controller, kids)
-stories aren't as interesting as last year's game
-no online functionality

7.5

Nostalgia-

Spoiler

Nostalgia
Reviewer: Phil T.

Pros
-It's a game made for those who are nostalgic for 16-bit RPGs.
-charmingly retro
-nice variety of enemies + attack order = exciting battles
-"decent adventure with a wealth of sidequests"

Cons
-It's a game made for those who are nostalgic for 16-bit RPGs.
-there's no way of knowing how close you are to earning a new skill, which kinda messes up the game's skill tree
-derivative story

7.0

WiiWare/DSiWare/VC Reviews-

Spoiler

Wiiware:

* Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 2: The Siege of Spinner City -- Recommended
* Contra Rebirth -- Recommended
* Colorz -- Recommended
* Texas Hold'em Poker -- Recommended
* You, Me, and the Cubes -- Recommended
* Family Tennis -- Maybe?
* Spaceball: Revolution -- Maybe?
* Mart Racer -- Bad
* 3-2-1, Rattle Battle! -- Bad


DSiware:

* Puzzle League Express -- Recommended
* Art Academy: First Semester -- Recommended
* Clubhouse Games Express: Family Favorites -- Maybe?
* Clubhouse Games Express: Strategy Pack -- Maybe?
* Oscar in Toyland -- Maybe?


Virtual Console

* Phantasy Star -- Recommended
* Super Return of the Jedi -- Recommended
* Last Ninja 2 -- Maybe?
* Crash 'N the Boys: Street Challenge -- Maybe?

Previews-

Spoiler

Previews:

Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 5: Rise of the Pirate God
-horrible things will happen
-HORRIBLE THINGS
-"There's going to be a very clever and emotionally meaningful take on the insult swordfighting" -- Mike Stemmle, game designer
-"...And we did set up one very cool ending... when we sat down with [original Secret of Monkey Island creator] Ron Gilbert. People will be very happy with how that comes across. It will cement Elaine and Guybruch as the power couple of the Caribbean."
-some puzzles will make use of items that have been collected from previous episodes, even ones that were forgotten or annoying

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
-it has a quick save, thank the lords
-though the camera will pan out, if some multiplayer participants are too slow they will still be left to die offscreen eventually
-the article pretty much goes over the same info we've learned of recently

Infinite Space
-100 unique ship schematics in all
-the level of stat management and customization in this game is insane. Everything from seperate modules (rooms), weapons and even the crew can be managed.
-an intuitive module interface allows you to fill your ship with different facilities from engine rooms to research laboratories. This forces you to prioritize in the process.
-There are over 150 recruits for your crew, each with a unique personality and back story. Each character also has their own skills and attributes that they bring to the table.
-Your ability to recruit depends on both money and your reputation.
-Being an RPG and all, your crew members will increase in proficiency as they gain experience from completed battles/missions.
-Two galaxies to explore!
-Battles are menu based and tactical but feature a Active-Time-Battle like system
-Main character's name is Yuri (instant awesome)
-You can eventually command up to 5 ships at a time
-branching paths, expansive story, illustrated cut-scenes
-music is by Masafumi Takada (Killer 7, No More Heroes)

Why did you choose to make the game on the Nintendo DS system?
Hifumi Kouno (director): "When I was presented with the development budget for this project, it was not enough for a console platform, but fairly large for a handheld platform. I determined that in order to develop this as a console game, we would have to remove many features from the original concept, which I wanted to avoid. Therefore, I chose the Nintendo DS platform instead, in order to establish the epic grandeur of this title. As a result, I was able to pack in everything regarding the story from my original concept into this tiny hardware."

News-

-- Shiren the Wanderer's NA release will include the previously downloadable only mansion sections from the Japanese version

The staff also listed their favorite Zelda games in order, which will no doubt stir up some flames, but since i enjoy seeing other people flame, here ya go!

1. Ocarina of Time
2. A Link to the Past
3. The Legend of Zelda
4. Twilight Princess
5. Link's Awakening
6. The Wind Waker
7. Phantom Hourglass
8. Minish Cap
9. Oracle of Seasons
10. Oracle of Ages
11. Majora's Mask
12. Four Swords Adventure
13. Zelda II

Best of series:

Hook: Dark World (ALttP)
Item: Double Clawshot (TP)
Weapon: Bow
Zelda: TWW
Boss: Twilit Dragon (TP)
Overworld: MC
Story moment: Beneath the Waves (TWW)
Secret: Second Quest (TLoZ)
Tune: Overworld Theme
Dungeon: Goron Mines (TP)
Enemy: Octorok
Supporting Character: Midna
Ganon: OoT

http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=101800
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=378309

 

[vergilite]

i did find ocarina of time to be the most enjoyable IMO

 

[personager]

i did find ocarina of time to be the most enjoyable IMO

I did. Part of the reason's probably because it was the first Zelda game that I played properly

 

[CockroachMan]

I kinda agree with the Zelda ranking.. at least the for the console ones.
For the handheld ones.. I would put PH lower and Minish Cap higher

Best item ever to me was the Magnetic Gloves in Oracle of Seasons! Too bad it was never used again.
The double clawshot is still cool, though..

 

[Master Mo]

Good Score for Phantasy Star.

Best Zelda: A Link to the Past (But still a good list - who cares about the oder!

)

 

[Overlord Nadrian]

My thoughts on the ratings.

Phantasy Star Zero: 8 Same.
Drawn to Life 2: 7.5 (DS), 7 (Wii) Same.
Astro Boy: 7.5 Haven't tried it, so I wouldn't know. If it's anything like the GBA game, it deserves more.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: EoS: 8 Same.
Fifa 10: 6 Same.
Harvest Moon Sunshine Islands; 7 Should have been less.
Atelier Annie: 8 wat
WWE SvR 10: 7.5 (Wii), 7 (DS) Dunno. Never bothered playing these.
Nostalgia: 7 Should have been more, the game's really good. I'd say 9.
DBZ: Attack of the Saiyans: 8 Less, the in-battle graphics and gameplay were good, nothing more.
Harvest Moon: Animal Parade: 7.5 Less.
Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo: 6.5 Too bad... I was hoping for something better for once.
TMNT: Arcade Attack: 4.5 Probably what I'll think of it when I first play it

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: 5.5

Marvel Super Hero Squad is MUCH better!

 

[Canonbeat234]

The only console Zelda game I have beaten is Zelda : A link to the Past

 

[FireEmblemGuy]

I would've put Majora's Mask at 7 at the very lowest, and maybe bumped down Phantom Hourglass a bit, but other than that it's a pretty good list.

 

[War]

Disappointing scores, and that tier list sucks.

 

[shakirmoledina]

i think all the scores seem like they accurate specially because they are low...
zelda games, well i havent played many but i did manage to almost finish minish cap (before formatting) and it is better than PH though i still have to get used to ocarina to actually say much about it... good game so far
They said HM SI will have a similar but easier gameplay to IoH which is actually pretty good (nice rating too)
what i am surprised at is nostalgia (was expected atleast 8) and TMNT which is not worth mentioning
Thanks for the info gran

 

[X D D X]

Good scores for PS0 and Dragonball. I was hoping that the TMNT game would be good but it looks like it isn't.

 

[Joe88]

I kinda agree with the Zelda ranking.. at least the for the console ones.
For the handheld ones.. I would put PH lower and Minish Cap higher

same

PH was probably the worst handheld game to date, should be at the bottom right next too zelda II

 

[ZeroEXE93]

Sorry for nit-picking, but isn't this the December issue?

Edit: Yes it is

 

[GeekyGuy]

Not too surprised that the TMNT DS game did poorly. I kind of agree with their assessment of Nostalgia, though. After putting in about 10-11 hours with it, it feels like a 7-7.5 to me. It's really tight, really polished, but the story is lame.

 

[Rayder]

So what did they not like about TMNT?

 

[GeekyGuy]

So what did they not like about TMNT?

From what I could glean of the review, it basically boils down to the issues people had with ReShelled. It's antiquated and button-mashy. No platforming or real adventure elements -- just straight up, run-through-a-level beat'em-up. For folks like us, it will probably be worth fooling with for a very short time, but I can see why they might score it low when the asking price is sure to be about $30 at retail.

Quick edit: Looks like Gamepro has weighed in on TMNT: Arcade Attack, too. Not great, either: http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/212...-arcade-attack/

 

[blackdragonbaham]

1. A Link to the Past
2. Link's Awakening
3. Ocarina of Time
4. The Wind Waker
.
.
although all titles are great pieces of software

 

[OSW]

If i ordered the zelda games that i have played, i would go

1. Ocarina of Time (most epic)
2. Majora's Mask (not as long as OOT, but awesome)
3. Wind Waker (most beautiful)
4. Minish Cap (fun little game)
5. Phantom Hourglass (not as well played as wind waker)
6. Twilight Princess (pretty shit effort)

I haven't played any of the original zeldas for more than 5 minutes... yet... who knows.

I'm half way through wind waker and 3/4 way through majora's mask (virtual console

).
As for twilight princess, that game was boring and I stopped playing it ages ago.

Hemm, funnily enough, my list seems like it's ordered by release date...

 

[DeltaBurnt]

Reading this I of course knew number 1 had to be Ocarina of Time and A Link To The Past had to be number 2. It's just basic Zelda ranking knowledge.

I would scan the pages if my freaking scanner would work.

 

[granville]

Just found a bunch of review summaries/previews/other stuff on Neogaf and updated the first post.