Mustache in the Clouds. New Super Mario Galaxy 2 Impressions.

Looks like Joystiq and IGN have some new impressions (and in Joystiq's case: video) of Super Mario Galaxy 2. This time the demo each editor was given to play shed some light on a new power, the Cloud Suit, as well as the game's co-op mechanics.

If you took a "pass" last time SMG2 was covered: Yoshi's back, he's just like you remember him from World and he has some cool new power-ups like balloon and pepper which make you float and dash (up walls), respectively. This time, however, we get to see one of Mario's new power-ups, the Cloud Suit (not quite).

The new power-up leaves three tiny clouds trailing Mario, providing a visual representation of remaining uses. Once activated - by shaking the Wiimote while in mid-air - a smiley-faced cloud will appear below Mario and stay put for about 15 seconds before "poof"ing away. For the most part the applications are obvious: extra height to grab that elusive coin/star (also a "not quite") or bridge otherwise uncrossable gaps. Change to that comes in one particular galaxy that prominently featured the effect of wind on the clouds. Having to drop clouds over a pit of spikes while the wind blows said clouds around would seem to add a bit of challenge for the new power-up.

If the game proves too challenging for the player at any point, there are two options for having the game hold your hand through it. Hint TV's placed throughout levels will show the player a "how to" video of a developer completing that particular section. The Cosmic Guide will simply play through the level for the player until he disables it. For those just jumping on the "Yay videogames!" team, (for one reason or another) this can be a real help. The rest of you should be able to harness your inner plumber and work through it. The rest of the limited sampling of galaxies offered only an homage to Super Mario Sunshine sans FLUDD.

The other big mechanic on show was the new co-op play featuring a Luma, a star creature, with several useful abilities. Adding on to the ability to point at and grab star bits from the first SMG, a second player can now grab coins and, when underwater, air bubbles. Best of all, player 2 can grab enemies and, in some cases, shake the remote to give them some Luma pwnage. From everything Joystiq and IGN have said, it sounds like the sequel will be a proper evolution of the original Galaxy.

Personally, I would go so far as to say that Mario's ability to constantly evolve with an ever-shanging audience and technology is why the character has remained relevant for ever-so-slightly longer than I've been alive. With Galaxy 2 looking to perpetuate that iconic status I find myself wishing for Miyamoto-san to end up with his head in a glass jar. ( <-See what a difference clicking on the links makes?)

We Need More Giant Robot Games. Also: Yes Kojima, You Really Should Retire Snake.

First I'd like to say, if you already know exactly what giant robot game I'm going to talk about, congratulations on your acceptance into my personal "You're Cool" club.

Close your eyes and just think to yourself, "When was the last time a good giant robot game came out?" Depressing, isn't it? Considering the we're closing in on what would normally be the twilight of a console generation, having to look to the previous generation for any worthwhile entries into the genre leaves any gamer that grew up on Voltron,Transformers or Power Rangers quite blue.

The Armored Core series has been pretty downhill since the second game; and Chromehounds did not help From Software, who developed both series, to reclaim any credibility within the genre. Applying the Dynasty Warriors formula to the Gundam Universe also disappointed quite thoroughly. There have been a few other attempts this generation...but all of them failed to impress. Some hope still exists for Activision's Transformers:War For Cybertron, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Especially with the average pedigree of developer High Moon Studios. Fingers crossed though...

Sure, we occasionally get some decent giant robot action thrown into our other games. Lost Planet, FEAR 2, Red Faction: Guerrilla and Killzone 2 (you know, that one part). In the end though, a giant robot game is just not the same as a game with giant robots. Porting Virtual-On to LIVE Arcade doesn't count either.

So what happened? I don't believe there's anything noteworthy, if anything at all, on the horizon for some giant robot-on-robot, city-smashing, love. We came from Armored Core, MechAssault, Zone of the Enders, Steel Batallion (assuming you could afford it and find a place for the controller) to a complete vacuum. I'm not even picky! Give me the slow, plodding T-A-N-K-! style play of Mechassault or the fast-paced, anime-flavored combat of a Z.O.E. game and I'll be thrilled.

The technology currently on the table, or rather entertainment center, is particularly good at rendering metal armor, stones, and the accompanying lighting effects (according to Cliff "not Cliffy B" Bleszinski anyway). Hmm, good at rendering metal, stone, lighting ef-GIANT ROBOTS! You know how they say some formulas just scream out the answer? Like graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate screams...? Exactly. Well that's one of them.

Am I to believe that Activision, Transformers, and whatever re-skinned Armored Core From Software decides to poop out are all I have to choose from? What happened to all the people making these games? Will people abandon their WWII soldiers, modern day soldiers, and futuristic soldiers to shoot bad guys with a giant robot instead? I think they just might, especially if it's pretty.

Which brings me to Kojima. Leave Snake alone. you've said you were going to do it every game for nearly a decade, just do it. The story of Solid Snake has been as neatly tied up as once could expect from the trip through "WTF"-land that was the Metal Gear Solid series. The stealth genre is changing drastically to accommodate a market that, by and large, wants to shoot things, not hide from them. You're halfway there with letting another team take Metal Gear: Rising in another direction (assuming he stays "hands-off" as a producer). A huge "thank you" for that, by the way because, as I've mentioned twice before, I have to see how Raiden went from whiny wanna-be to kick-ass cybernetic ninja. Then, however, you cheated by creating the Naked Snake storyline to continue on with an almost identical character to Solid Snake acting out almost identical gameplay.

Just leave them all alone. You've go other series to work on. Give us another Zone of the Enders, because the world needs giant robot games. Kojima's name on a giant robot game could bring out quite the audience with the accolades MGS4 managed to capture. With one successful giant robot game comes others. With other giant robot games comes competition. With competition comes awesome giant robot games. And that's what we're working for here, folks.

Just let Snake die, he's old. Move on to some other series, or even give us a whole new one. Let the stealth genre settle down a little bit, not even Sam Fisher just sneaks around guys anymore. If technology evolves or you come up with an entirely new, truly revolutionary game mechanic feel free to do a reboot. In chronological order would be nice, since MGS3 managed to take place before MG, MG2, MGS, and MGS2. For the uninitiated, that means the 5th game (called the 3rd) in the series took place, chronologically, before the first game, which was made over 20 years ago. A modern take on the earliest games in the series (Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2) would be quite the moment for long-time fans too.

In the meantime, give us back our giant robot games. Oh, and Kojima-san? While we're talking about reboots and reviving franchises and what-not, remember Snatcher...?

Some Cheers, Some Tears, Mostly Huh?'s

Those of you interested in the status of your favorite "is it ever actually coming out!?" game can check out the latest "Life Support" article over at IGN.

This lists the general status of several titles whose development status has remained amazingly questionable, for years in some cases. (Yes, Duke Nukem Forever is still on there, 13 years and counting!)

There is one interesting tidbit for readers of Higher Tech, Beyond Good and Evil 2 has had it's status bumped up to stable. However, no new details have emerged since HT last covered the game, so I'm not sure what caused the slight status promotion. But feel free to check everything out at the link above.

Metroid: Other M. Hands-On with Joystiq and IGN

Once again I say that it must be nice to be a professional video game site, as both Joystiq and IGN got some hands-on time with forthcoming Wii title Metroid: Other M. Also nice: being a super-hot intergalactic bounty hunter with an insanely versatile suit of power armor.

As seems to be the case with all 3D Metroid games, Other M is an "interquel" taking place between Super Metroid (Metroid 3) and Metroid Fusion (Metroid 4). In case you've forgotten, all three entries in the Prime series (Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime2: Echoes, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption) took place between Metroid and Metroid 2. In a definite departure from the Prime series, Other M will actually take place primarily in 3rd person. This is particularly interesting considering how controversial the move to first-person was with Metroid Prime and how celebrated the transition was after Prime's release. Other M does still have first-person play, however, but we'll get into that shortly

With Team Ninja (of Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden fame) collaborating with Nintendo for this entry, many fans feared that Other M would become simply a "Metroidified" version of Ninja Gaiden. Joystiq quickly assures us that not only is Other M "really impressive" "really fun" and "totally Metroid" but also "in no way a re-skinned Ninja Gaiden." Whew, you can let that sigh of relief out now, you're gonna need to because I'm about to make you gasp: Metroid: Other M releases this June, just a year after its announcement.

Speaking of which, let's have a refresher on that debut trailer (courtesy of IGN) shall we?

Metroid: Other M Nintendo Wii Trailer - E3 2009: Trailer

Yep, still awesome. Are you salivating for me to get to the details of the hands-on yet? Good, because there's going to be some spoilers if you want the hands-on, which covers the first 45 minutes or so of the game.

Metroid: Other M is looking like that game that will finally give players a glimpse into the personal history of main badass chick Samus Aran. What this means, besides that there will be voice acting (players will hear Samus's voice for the first time), is that Other M is a far more cinematic experience than Metroids past. In fact, Other M opens with a fully pre-rendered cinematic that gives the player something of an abstract view of Samus's origins that IGN describes as 2001-esque. The destruction of a space station by meteor shower with the lone surviving baby girl rapidly aging before our eyes. Once the camera reveals an adult Samus quickly encapsulated in her trademark Power Suit -- which has seen a slight redesign since Prime 3 -- the scene quickly moves to a recap of the climactic battle with Mother Brain at the end of Super Metroid. After Samus wakes up in a hospital wearing only her Zero Suit she is told that everything appears normal by a "quarantine officer" who then instructs her to move to the training room where the player gains control of the bounty hunter for the first time. In something of a reversal of the death animation from Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion the Varia Suit materializes on Samus and it's time to recall her skills in asskicking. Here's where things really differentiate Other M from any other entry in the series: the controls.

The majority of Other M is played from the third person and sometimes in an "almost 2.5D" perspective, according to IGN. The Wii-mote is held sideways, much like when playing a title form the Virtual Console, meaning that Samus is controlled entirely with digital controls via the D-pad. No analog control also means no control over movements speed, Samus runs everywhere. This gives traversing environments a speed more akin to the 2D Metroid games than the methodical pacing of the Prim series. While the levels are largely presented in a 2D perspective, Samus can run into the background or foreground in true 3D movement. In general, Other M's controls are a melding of classic Metroid with Prime, and a few new twists of its own. Additionally, during third-person play the 1 button fires, and holding the button will still charge a more powerful shot, while the 2 button jumps. As far as aiming at enemies, gone is the lock-on of Prime, replaced by an extremely competent auto-aim that has Samus firing at the nearest enemy in the general direction she's facing. When in morph ball mode (accomplished via the A button) the 1 button will lay down bombs, charging will produce a screen-clearing powerbomb and, in a move reminiscent of Super Metroid, charging your beam and then switching to Morph Ball will lay several bombs simultaneously around the Morph Ball Samus.

The other half of Other M's controls scheme is in the first person mode. Switching to first person mode may actually be the most innovative thing about the control scheme. There is no button press of any kind required, you simply point the Wii-mote at the screen and the view changes to first-person almost instantaneously. Although unable to move while in first-person, the player can aim freely in a way that will remind most players of light-gun games like Time Crisis or House of the Dead.

This view is quickly taught in Other M's training room tutorial. Tasked with locating an "old friend" (read: Space Pirate) that hides, partially cloaked, somewhere in the room, the player must look around by holding the B trigger. At any time the player can fire by tapping the A button. Once the enemy is located and locked-on to, however, tapping the A button fires a missile. Aside from combat, IGN asserts that using the B trigger to look around in first-person can be quite useful for exploration purposes as well.

With the holographic enemy dispatched, it was time to learn some more advanced third person moves, such as dodging. Dodging is a simple matter of moving just before an enemy attack makes contact. Rather obvious, right? Performing an actual dodge, however is more a matter of timing than simply moving Samus away from the attack. The player does not simply run in a direction to escape attack, he taps the button just before getting hit and Samus performs a booster-assisted dodge animation that both IGN and Joystiq claim is pretty slick. Samus can also perform reversal attacks, according to IGN, but they don't go into detail on how this is accomplished or what it entails. The same goes for the finishing moves glimpsed in the above trailer. Weakening enemies sufficiently allows Samus to finish them off with a move reminiscent of God of War, or even Nero's Buster moves from Devil May Cry 4.

Moving on from the training room, the demo quickly finds informing a crowded meeting hall that her Super Metroid mission was a success and the Metroids are now extinct before fading to a shot of her ship zipping through outer space. Just as soon as we are given an interior view of the ship, Samus receives a distress call (she seems to do that lot) and finds herself on a "Bottle Ship" in answer to the call. Throughout all the cinematics, Samus's inner dialogue drives the story.
Once inside the Bottle Ship, Samus quickly discovers she is not alone and the player is prompted to the first person view to examine another ship waiting in the landing bay. A quick scan reveals that it is a Galactic federation ship, and another inner monologue reveals that Samus was once in the military before an "incident" prompted her movement to the private sector; mkinging GF troppers that own the ship her allies and former brothers-in-arms. Samus doesn't get too far in exploring the ship before she encounters the troopers, all of whom recognizer her. Including the somewhat notorious "Remember me?" soldier from the debut trailer who is apparenlty named Anthony Higgs, according to IGN. It seems these troopers will play a somewhat large roll in Other M, with their Commanind Officer, Adam Malkovich, dictating when and where Samus can deploy which weapons. This is a noticeably different turn from the normal formula of Samus reacquiring her suits weapons and functions that are somehow lost at the game's outset.

After using a missile to open a door for the soldiers, the two factions separate for some individual exploration and enemy extermination before they are reunited in the game's first boss fight. When a bug crawls out from a scientist's corpse, it is quickly joined by a swarm of thousands more than come together and form the giant purple boss seen in the trailer. Working together to bring the beast down, the GF troopers will freeze its tentacles with Samus using first-person to lock and and shatter them with missiles, avoiding attacks from third person.
With the boss defeated, the two groups separate once again for some more exploration and alien butt-kicking. During exploration Samus will come to a long vertical shaft that requires Other M's new, and very Mega Man X, kick-climb ability to traverse. Although IGN claims to have found an area holding Missile and Energy Tank, Joystiq mentions never seeing the standard Metroid power pick-ups. Instead, health was restored by "focusing," an act accomplished by holding the Wii-mote vertically and holding the A button. Continuing exploration brought Joystiq to a bridge that gave out to drop Samus into a large room filled with "familiar two-legged beasties" (more Space Pirates? Your guess is as good as mine.) who brought Samus's health to the dire condition requiring the new "focus" mechanic. Also discovered by Joystiq was a bathroom that revealed yet another camera and control mechanic utilized for cramped corridors. The setup was described as a zoomed in over-the-shoulder view with controls "a bit like Resident Evil 4. The quest to restore power to the ship also revealed Other M's save stations, which still restore energy besides saving in a very speedy manner. The demo ended after a few more hatches had their doors blown of via missile fire and Samus made her way into the "command room."
Overall, Other M sounds like an exciting and very Metroid game that anyone with Chozo in their blood should be really excited to see this June. If you want to have a look at some more in-depth coverage of each publications experience with the demo, as well as some screenshots of Other M, you can find both articles at the links posted at the top of this article. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to go replay every Metroid game I own to try and sate my hunger for Other M.

It's-a-me, Sequel! Hands-on with Super Mario Galaxy 2

(click for mushroom power-up effect)

While Wii games aren't exactly few and far between, those actually worth picking up (in the eyes of most gamers, anyway) are a little on the rare side. Fortunately, Nintendo is pretty much the strongest first party developer in the world, owning several franchises that are synonymous with video games. The biggest of these, and perhaps single-handedly responsible for rescuing the video game industry in 1986, is Super Mario. And it just so happens that those crazy Europeans over at CVG (and the local yahoos at IGN) got some hands-on time with the plumber's latest title: Super Mario Galaxy 2. Before we get into the details of CVG's hands-on experience, I feel it worthy to note that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is notable for two reasons: 1) Super Mario Galaxy was AWESOME! and 2) This is the third "true" Mario game (i.e. platformers. Not offshoots like Mario party, Mario [insert sport] or Mario RPG/Paper Mario) for the Wii. Super Mario Galaxy and New Super Mario Brothers Wii being the first two. There hasn't been more than one true Mario entry in a Nintendo system's life cycle since the Super Nintendo. Some would even say that the Gamecube didn't have any, considering the oddball, even...weak, entry that was Super Mario Sunshine. I think this calls for a w007!

Now, if you're anything like me, what I'm about to tell you may not only be something you guessed from the image above, but also the best part of Super Mario Galaxy 2: Yoshi. Yes, Yoshi returns and brings some of the classic traits from his debut in Super Mario World. The classic traits accompanying Yoshi's return include finding him by cracking open eggs and should you take a hit while riding your dino sidekick, Yoshi will take off just like SMW, or he could retreat back into his egg. Also making the jump from World to Galaxy is Yoshi's ability to gobble up and spit out enemies. In the requisite Wii control update, however, this ability is directly controlled by pointing with the Wii-mote, giving considerable accuracy beyond even that found in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. IGN reports that it is as simple as keeping the Wii-mote pointed at an enemy until Yoshi locks on and pushing a button to inhale the fiend. A second tap of the button will spit the enmy back out.

According to CVG, this new found accuracy is not only helpful, but necessary on some levels. One particular galaxy, Bowser Jr's Fearsome Fleet, which is riddled with Bullet Bill turrets, all focused on the plumber-dinosaur pair. But with Yoshi's tongue-of-steel, it's a simple matter of point and shoot to grab the projectiles with Yoshi's tongue and fire them back.

In addition to returning classics, there are also new abilities to be found in Galaxy 2, like drill. In a Super Mario version of digging a hole to China, Mario can drill from one side of the planet straight through to the other. This can be quite useful when the only way to get at something is from underneath. Whether that something is a 1-up stuck inside a cage, a star resting atop and otherwise unreachable tower, or the underside of a boss. Also enabled by the drill ability is access to the core of hollow planets, allowing Mario to run around inside the planet collecting coins. (Did anyone else just hear the Underground Theme in their heads?)

Combing new with some of the old, Yoshi gains some entirely new abilities. Seen on the aptly named Tree Trunk Galaxy during CVG's play time is the "Blimp Fruit." Swallowing this fruit causes Yoshi to inflate like a balloon and release a constant stream of air from his mouth, propelling him around the level...also much like a balloon. Once obtained, this power-up allowed CVG to access a launch star that shot both characters to a giant log in the sky. With the perspective changing to 2.5dimensions (3D graphics with 2D movement) gravity makes it impossible to fall off the rollign log in space, instead Mario will fall indefinitely, or until he lands safely on a platform. Another use revealed for this 2.5D perspective was the true function of "Blimp Yoshi" in a level that required the player to maneuver Yoshi up towards a power star while avoiding hazards like flying goombas and spiky brushes along the way by holding his breath with the "A" button, which allowed the player to float in place. IGN also mentions a Dash pepper that ignites the little dinosaur, giving him a speed boost and even, in some sections, allowing him to run up walls.

As far as visuals go, IGN claims that Galaxy 2 is only a minor update to the original Super Mario Galaxy. That's nothing to scoff at, however, as that game remains the best looking title on the Wii.

All in all Galaxy 2 looks to impress just as much as the first Galaxy title did. Speaking of which, you may want to get out Galaxy and brush up on your skills because CVG had one more thing to say about Super Mario Galaxy 2: it's even more challenging than its predecessor.

All Beyond Good & Evil fans: join me in saying "Hip-hip-huh?"

So apparently Beyond Good & Evil 2 is still in development, according to IGN and Ubisoft. This is stark contrast to comments made by Ubisoft president, Laurent Detoc, last July which gave the feeling BG&E2 had been put on indefinite hold or scrapped altogether.

At the time, Detoc said: "Whether or not it comes out remains to be seen anyway, but we didn't want to abandon that IP because it has a cache and authenticity about it," Detoc said at the time. "There's something very pure about that game and it's too bad that we were not able to build it as an IP at the time."

Wait...you're telling me that you're company is continuing to spend time and money on developing a game that you're not even sure will be released. Yeah, sure, that makes sense...to a crazy person. Although it's better than the alternative of the game being scrapped altogether.

So I'm not sure who these sources at Ubisoft are, but I wish they'd been a little more detailed. Anyways, enjoy the original teaser video (confirmed as being in-game by Ubisoft) as well as leaked footage that is, for some reason, still debated as to whether or not it's in-game, actually BG&E2, or even real at all. Courtesy of those crazy bastards at IGN.

For those of you that don't care because you didn't play the first game (which was the majority of you or the sequel wouldn't be on such shaky ground): the biggest, fattest "Shame on you" I can muster. Because you missed out on an absolutely FANTASTIC game. And since it came out on Gamecube, Playstation 2, Xbox AND PC I recommend you go pick it up right now and play it. Chances are you have one of those systems around, or a backwards compatible successor, if you're even at this site in the first place. Go. No, don't waste time watching these videos, GO! NOW!

Teaser

Beyond Good & Evil 2 at IGN.com

Leaked Footage

Beyond Good & Evil 2 at IGN.com

Get your hands on 2 More Heroes. I mean, No More Heroes 2 hands-on

Chances are, if you're a "core" gamer looking for something outside the casual titles the Wii is famous for, you've played No More Heroes. The good news for you is not only is the game getting a sequel, subtitled Desperate Struggle (How did you not already know that? Psh!) but IGN has gotten some hands-on time and even written about it! And now, i'm going to re-write what they wrote! W007, indeed, but try to contain yourself.

According to IGN writer Mark Bozon, who had hands-on time with the game (lucky bastard) it's so good that he quadrupled the one-hour play time limit he set for himself. Given what he tells us in the rest of the article (and the first game itself) i'm inclined to believe him, although maybe with a little less of his excessive enthusiasm.

It looks like Grasshopper Manufacture, the game's developer, has taken the criticisms of the first game's travel in the overworld, job mini-games and hotel homebase to heart and made significant changes to each system. The oddball, slightly perverted, humor of the first game and gratuitous violents are still filly intact and ready to make you smirk, if nout laugh out loud, while playing.

Even the time passed in between the is given a humorous treatment. Your pet cat has gotten fat and, in fourht-wall shattering moment, main character Travis demands his love interest tell him what happened between the games. Of course she claims the player (that's you, jerk) would just skip the explanation anyway. Now, don't you feel bad?

Starting off in your hotel you'll find plenty to do before even getting into the game. You can play mini-games with your cat, and try to make her lose that "vacation" weight, or mess around with your TV, also making the return as a changed...thing. The TV now includes a minigame titled BJ5 (yes, that does mean what you think it does) that seems to be aiming to lampoon classic anime Sailor Moon. The stars of BJ5 are 5 girls of unrealistic, but anime norm, hotness that don't shy away from showing their undies, and more, when changing into their superhero outfits. BJ5 sounds like quite the in-depth game itself with mini-bosses, bosses and even a gameworld leaderboard which, when topped, unlockes a video that Bozon claims is hilarious.

Once you journey outside your hotel, you'll find a completely revamped overworld map that moves you from place to place without any need take your motorcycle on long treks back and forth across the game world.

The new map system operates exclusively through a menu system. For those that just groaned at how boring that sounds, the creators of the game have hinted at some type of free-roaming sections. The new system, however, seems like quite the speedy and headache free setup, something that can't be said for the previous game's method. Upon entering the outside world, the map gives you a birds-eye view of a grey Santa Destroy with a color-coding system applied to all missions, jobs, revenge quests and shopping. Simply select which one you want via the menu, and you're there.

Which brings us to the new job system and its rewards. All of the job minigames in NMH2 have been reconfigured into an NES art style. Everything from sucking up bugs in Bug Out to fixing up plumbing in Lay the Pipe (ala BioShock) gets a very retro treatment. Beside the fun factor of the new minigames, it sounds like the money they earn you will be a lot more fun to spend. Bozon claimes all the new clothes and light-saber like Beam Katanas available for purchase actually warrant the time spent gathering extra cash in the minigames.

Unfortunately the article doesn't go into the meat of the game, combat, missions, etc other than saying "Just wow" to game's second major fight (am I the only one that thinks IGN's getting lazy when it comes to the quality of their articles?) but you can see that for yourself in the original article right here.