The marketing blitz has begun for LEGO City Undercover. It seems to be the perfect city for a tourist with lots of different vehicles to test drive, as shown by the first commercial. The second TV spot goes into the various disguise protagonist Chase McCain can try on. LEGO City Undercover arrives on Wii U on March 18.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity (3DS) North American Commercial
"Dude", here comes the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity North American commercial. Beyond this campy commercial, lies an interesting discovery-- a Pokemon Pikachu 3DS XL. Could that be coming to North America? It would be so cruel if it was in the ad and wasn't on its way to our shores. That said, the demo of this game really turned me onto getting and reviewing the latest in the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. The game comes out the same day as Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, but it will be available for five dollars less. Both release March 24.
SPC's Favorite VGMs - Spring Break 2013 Edition
SuperPhillip Central is back for a week's worth of new content. Starting that off is our Spring Break 2013 edition of the Favorite VGMs. This week is terrific for taking a vacation to the coast, but if you can't leave your troubles behind and go somewhere, why not get away with these five stellar tracks from video games? We have music from Nintendo Land, Final Fantasy III, and Skies of Arcadia. There. All better now?
v331. Nintendo Land (Wii U) - Main Theme
The game that won SuperPhillip Central's Best Wii U Game of 2012 award due to its clever mini-games and absolutely awesome multiplayer, Nintendo Land also comes with an incredible soundtrack. While most of it is remixes, the main theme is one of the original tracks the game possesses. While the Wii U is currently struggling, those interested in the console should have a great old time with Nintendo Land.
v332. Mario Party 2 (N64) - In the Pipe
Mario Party 2 might be our favorite entry in the series. 1) It had a fun collection of mini-games, 2) the boards were enjoyable to play on, and 3) there were no blister-inducing mini-games like its predecessor had. In the Pipe is a peppy tune that plays as Mario Party 2 owners choose their characters and board.
v333. Final Fantasy III (DS) - Crystal Tower
If you are looking for an old-school in design and difficulty game for your Nintendo DS (or your backwards compatible Nintendo 3DS), then Final Fantasy III is a grand game for you to look into. The game had previously never been released in the West, and this DS version (the game is also available on iOS platforms) featured new 3D graphics and a remastered soundtrack. Crystal Tower is an epic sounding theme perfect for the final dungeon it plays in.
v334. Skies of Arcadia (DC, GCN) - Kingdom of Ixa'taka
Full of tribal percussion and pan flute toots, Skies of Arcadia's Kingdom of Ixa'taka plays during the village of the same name. The village is suspended above the treetops and in the jungle canopy. Skies of Arcadia recently made a return in the spotlight in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Not only did the game have a track representative, but it also had Vyse as a playable character. Expect a review of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed on Wednesday.
v335. Elebits (Wii) - The Smile of You
A really catchy and perky song to cap the fun and quirky near launch game for Wii, Elebits, The Smile of You is a bouncy and bright vocal theme played during the credits of the game. On the other side of the Atlantic, Elebits is known as Eledees, as "bits" in the U.K. is a word for a certain under region of the male body. You know which one. I'm not spelling it out any further. We're a family site here... sort of.
That wraps up our Spring Break 2013 edition of SPC's Favorite VGMs. Until next week, why not scope out the VGM Database for every VGM ever listed? As for now, the VGMs will see you later!
v331. Nintendo Land (Wii U) - Main Theme
The game that won SuperPhillip Central's Best Wii U Game of 2012 award due to its clever mini-games and absolutely awesome multiplayer, Nintendo Land also comes with an incredible soundtrack. While most of it is remixes, the main theme is one of the original tracks the game possesses. While the Wii U is currently struggling, those interested in the console should have a great old time with Nintendo Land.
v332. Mario Party 2 (N64) - In the Pipe
Mario Party 2 might be our favorite entry in the series. 1) It had a fun collection of mini-games, 2) the boards were enjoyable to play on, and 3) there were no blister-inducing mini-games like its predecessor had. In the Pipe is a peppy tune that plays as Mario Party 2 owners choose their characters and board.
v333. Final Fantasy III (DS) - Crystal Tower
v334. Skies of Arcadia (DC, GCN) - Kingdom of Ixa'taka
Full of tribal percussion and pan flute toots, Skies of Arcadia's Kingdom of Ixa'taka plays during the village of the same name. The village is suspended above the treetops and in the jungle canopy. Skies of Arcadia recently made a return in the spotlight in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Not only did the game have a track representative, but it also had Vyse as a playable character. Expect a review of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed on Wednesday.
v335. Elebits (Wii) - The Smile of You
A really catchy and perky song to cap the fun and quirky near launch game for Wii, Elebits, The Smile of You is a bouncy and bright vocal theme played during the credits of the game. On the other side of the Atlantic, Elebits is known as Eledees, as "bits" in the U.K. is a word for a certain under region of the male body. You know which one. I'm not spelling it out any further. We're a family site here... sort of.
===
That wraps up our Spring Break 2013 edition of SPC's Favorite VGMs. Until next week, why not scope out the VGM Database for every VGM ever listed? As for now, the VGMs will see you later!
Friday, March 8, 2013
Coaster Creator 3D (3DSWare) Review
The day that caps off the work week presents the first review of March, the 397th review on SuperPhillip Central to be exact. Coaster Creator 3D on the Nintendo 3DS's eShop is a game developed in part by Big John Games. If you recall, we had an interview with them. Now, we are reviewing one of their first 3DS projects with this review of Coaster Creator 3D. Let's get to it.
As a tween and then later a teenager, I grew up on and adored the RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise. I loved designing my own park, situating rides, and of course building my own roller coasters. Big John Games' Coaster Creator 3D focuses heavily on the latter, as the name of the game pretty much clarifies immediately. The game is the type of ride that won't make you queasy afterwards. In fact, it's quite good. Like a well designed roller coaster, let's lay out the groundwork as to why.
Jumping right into coasting creation is an arduous task, so the designers of the game have a Career mode, built up of twenty or so challenges, and hosted by famed fictitious and retired roller coaster designer Gill McGee. Each challenge introduces you to core concepts concerning how to create coasters. Each challenge also has its own limitations on what you can do and what tools you can use. You are never building a coaster from scratch in the early stages; You are merely tweaking preexisting designs. Some challenges only allow you to twist the track, while others only allow you to add loops or corkscrews.
Depending on the challenge, there are different objectives to complete. Many challenges require you to make it so not only the carts reach the end of the track, but the carts pass through all of the targets (performed by tweaking the track to lead the carts to said targets). Other challenges have it so your cart reaches the required speeds, doesn't jerk its riders around, or have it where you need to have your cart's riders rise from their seats on various hills. After your work is done, you can test your tinkered with ride out. Thankfully, the game does not punish you for failure. You can try as many times as you like to get it right without penalty.
While you can jump straight into Coaster Creator 3D's Sandbox mode right when you begin the game for the first time, completing challenges in Career mode is the means to unlock new track styles, cart styles, and much more. This may turn off some players who just want to start designing their own coasters freely with all of the options available to them.
Nonetheless, making a coaster is very easy. You have an overhead view, and you place the start of the ride (the loading area) on the map. Then you draw the desired path of your coaster, making sure it connects back to the ride's start to make a complete circuit. You only have a limited amount of distance a coaster can be. Once you are satisfied with the drawing of your coaster, you get transported to the 3D creator where you can edit your placed track, making loops, corkscrews, twists, etc. and create hills. You can also place objects, whether themed or generic, that add some eye candy to your coaster's surroundings. Speaking of eye candy, you can customize the colors and design of your coaster and carts to make them visually attractive rather than just fun to ride.
Editing coasters takes some getting used to. You select pieces of the track to edit that specific part. The bottom screen shows the layout of the track (you shift perspectives with the directional pad) while the top screen shows a 3D version of the track. With the bottom screen you use the stylus to move the track around. Depending on the viewpoint, you are either moving track pieces left to right or up and down. Learning to use both perspectives is paramount to understanding how to create coasters well.
Coasters, finished and unfinished, can be saved at any time. Unfortunately, you have a pithy amount of characters you can use when naming a coaster, which is confusing to me. Regardless, you can ride your own designs with multiple camera angles (e.g. first-person perspective, multi-angle, etc.), and you can use the Circle Pad or the gyroscope of the 3DS to look around. Additionally, you can share your coaster designs via QR codes. (You can scan two SuperPhillip Central designs at the end of this review.)
Coaster Creator 3D is a wild ride made by people you know are ardent roller coaster enthusiasts. While there are some issues with the game (for one, I've had the game crash on me, resulting my Nintendo 3DS needing to auto-restart), the package as a whole is well done. Sure, the game has its ups and downs like many roller coasters do, but the final product is definitely worth the price of admission.
[SPC Says: 8.0/10]
Worth the price of admission
As a tween and then later a teenager, I grew up on and adored the RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise. I loved designing my own park, situating rides, and of course building my own roller coasters. Big John Games' Coaster Creator 3D focuses heavily on the latter, as the name of the game pretty much clarifies immediately. The game is the type of ride that won't make you queasy afterwards. In fact, it's quite good. Like a well designed roller coaster, let's lay out the groundwork as to why.
Jumping right into coasting creation is an arduous task, so the designers of the game have a Career mode, built up of twenty or so challenges, and hosted by famed fictitious and retired roller coaster designer Gill McGee. Each challenge introduces you to core concepts concerning how to create coasters. Each challenge also has its own limitations on what you can do and what tools you can use. You are never building a coaster from scratch in the early stages; You are merely tweaking preexisting designs. Some challenges only allow you to twist the track, while others only allow you to add loops or corkscrews.
 |
Everyone raise your hands in the air
like you just don't care.
|
 |
Those yellow spheres are the targets
your track must lead the carts into.
|
Nonetheless, making a coaster is very easy. You have an overhead view, and you place the start of the ride (the loading area) on the map. Then you draw the desired path of your coaster, making sure it connects back to the ride's start to make a complete circuit. You only have a limited amount of distance a coaster can be. Once you are satisfied with the drawing of your coaster, you get transported to the 3D creator where you can edit your placed track, making loops, corkscrews, twists, etc. and create hills. You can also place objects, whether themed or generic, that add some eye candy to your coaster's surroundings. Speaking of eye candy, you can customize the colors and design of your coaster and carts to make them visually attractive rather than just fun to ride.
 |
Different camera views offer differing
perspectives on each coaster you create.
|
 |
Have your collection of Miis
join you on your wild ride.
|
Coaster Creator 3D is a wild ride made by people you know are ardent roller coaster enthusiasts. While there are some issues with the game (for one, I've had the game crash on me, resulting my Nintendo 3DS needing to auto-restart), the package as a whole is well done. Sure, the game has its ups and downs like many roller coasters do, but the final product is definitely worth the price of admission.
[SPC Says: 8.0/10]
Coaster Creator Designs
QR Codes (Scan with Nintendo 3DS)
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Fun With Miiverse, Or How It's Currently the Wii U's Killer App
If you have spent any time on SuperPhillip Central, then you know our personal opinion on Miiverse and how much fun we at the site have been having with it. There are very good reasons for that.
From this writer's point of view, I love being able to be playing a game, press the Home button, and post a screenshot of where I am stuck and a post asking for help, and within mere moments or minutes receive a helpful response. This is especially terrific for games that do not currently have any online guides, particularly new and/or more niche games. The community gets to assist one another. It doesn't even have to be for gameplay advice either. For example, I probably never would have been interested in getting Trine 2: Director's Cut or Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition without the suggestions from the Miiverse community.
Something else that makes Miiverse special is the ability for developers to have a new and much more direct avenue to keep in touch with their fans. Toki Tori 2 developer Two Tribes' Collin van Ginkel notes that he and his team will be able to contact fans via a home console setting, something that has never been done before.
Miiverse is a bastion of creative users, and while some can say that Wii U owners/Miiverse participants are only doing great works of art and browse through Miiverse because they have no games to play (in my case that was true), the Miiverse community is still a bustling one.
Right now I'd like to share the amazing artwork of various Miiverse denizens, including yours truly (though I would not classify my stuff as "amazing"). The skill that these artists show off is just simply insane.
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