Big N Radio

Friday, June 30, 2006

The mysterious front flap

What exactly is under the front flap on the Wii? A button that says SYNC and an input of somesort. See for yourself.

More Weird Wii trademarks

In addition to WiiCulture, WiiPointer, WiiConnect24, and !!M, Nintendo has purchased another load of interesting names to go with it's new console. It seems like the Wii will be doing much more than playing games...

-WiiCan
-WiiClub
-WiiCommunication
-WiiDiary
-WiiHappy
-WiiHealth
-WiiHome
-WiiKids
-WiiMap
-WiiOnline
-WiiSenior
-WiiWords
-WWWii

DS lite Rumble Pack!

My prayers are answered! One of the first things I said when I got my lite was, "ohhhh, now I can't use my rumble pack..." but now the problem is solved. Japan is releasing a DS lite rumble pack, that will hopefully work as well as, or better than the original. I only wish that it came with a game like the original, but at the price of 1,200 Yen, ($10.30) I'm not going to complain that much.

 

Big N Radio - Ep.6!

Big N Radio - Ep.6 is currently in the books. Due to the lack of substantial news, we take a different approach in this episode. A-Zar, ill_masta, and darksinner start by talking about a couple of things that were in the headlines, such as games moving to the Wii, and how the Nintendo DS will become the ultimate spy gadget. Then we move to our newest segment entitled, Big N Roundtable. It's something that we have been wanting to do for a while and our first topic is controllers. We discuss every Nintendo controller, it's good points and bad points, as well as the PlayStation controllers and Xbox controllers. Then we talk about the different interfaces of the Game Boys and DS, what works, and what doesn't.

-Edit-
This episode will be posted to iTunes as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we are still undergoing technical problems and we hope that they will be solved soon, as we are now 2 episodes behind, but as soon as we are able to post the podcast, we will.

Japan gets a Pink DS lite

On July 20th, yet another flavor of Nintendo DS lite will be made available to Japan. Noble Pink will join Crystal White, Ice Blue, and Enamel Navy as the newest color in the DS lite family. Noble Pink will launch at 16,800 yen($144.16) so importers will find a hefty price tag on the Noble Pink DS lite together with shipping costs.

Friday, June 23, 2006

Big N Radio Episode 5!!

In what proves to be our longest and funniest episode yet, ill_masta and A-Zar talk about DS and Wii games, the Opera browser for DS/ DS Lite, Phoenix Wright and how it has sold yet again, and how the Red Steel controls were revamped. A new member, who goes by the name Dan's_Mom is also added to the crew when we interview her about Animal Crossing and Brain Age. We also talk about the Super Mario Bros. movie from 1989, as well as other classic Nintendo shows, such as The Legend of Zelda, the Super Mario Bros. Super Show, and more. This episode focuses on what's most important: the games. Listen to us discuss the future, as well as the past, while we reminisce and predict.

-EDIT-
Due to "technical difficulties," Ep. 5 of Big N Radio will be delayed from hitting up iTunes for a couple of days. We will submit it as soon as possible.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Great footage of Wii

This site has a ton of great videos that consist of footage from E3 of the Wii. It shows both the game on the screen, and the way the controller is used. The videos are also of decent quality too.
http://consoles.gwn.com/articles/article.php/id/719/

So that's what they say...

Ever wondered what they were saying in the Super Smash Bros. Brawl song? Many believe that the lyrics were in Latin, but it has recently been made clear that they are indeed in English. Check it out:
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Video with Subtitles.

Friday, June 16, 2006

Episode 4!

We are in the process of making Episode 4 of Big N Radio! We discuss DS lite, NSMB, DDR Mario Mix, and more!

Monday, June 12, 2006

DS lite now available!

Yesterday, DS lite was made available to everyone in the U.S. Or at least everyone with a pre-order. I was the very first person in line yesterday at my local EB Games, and I arrived about an hour before they opened. About 2 minutes after I got there, another person got in line, and by the time the store finally opened, the line was down the hall of the mall. Some people who had waited were turned away because they didn't reserve it in advance. I, however, walked away happily with my new baby, anxious to open it. EB was giving out free inhalers so that when people with asthma saw how small and sleek the lite was, they didn't have asthma attacks. I managed to pick one up.(I didn't need it, thankfully)

As soon as I got to the car, I carefully opened the box and looked at what was packed inside. Aside from the system, there was just an extra stylus, a charger, and the GBA slot protector. I was immediately amazed at the size of the system because it was so tiny! I was most impressed with the way the buttons loked and felt. Nintendo finally moved away from the clicky buttons that were found on the GBA SP and the original DS. The buttons on the lite are much softer and more comfortable. The only thing that I found strange with the buttons was the start and select buttons. They are extremely tiny and are very clicky, unlike the A, B, X, and Y buttons. Next, I noticed that the bottom screen looks a lot more durable and hopefully it won't be a scratch magnet. The system is surrounded by a thin layer of plastic and that is what goves it it's sleek look and smooth feel. Having brought my old DS with me, I whipped it out and began to make comparisons.

The shape of the lite is different, and more simmilar to that of the SP. The lite is also much lighter, easier to hold, and more comfortable. The fat bottom part of the original DS where the Game Boy slot and the microphone are is completely gone in the lite. Also, on the DS lite the bottom screen is slightly rasied so that when the system is closed, the 2 screens touch, preventing anything from getting caught between them and scratching them to death.

Overall, the system looks fabulous, and it now rivals the PSP, as far as how sleek and beautiful it is.

Now, aside from the way the way it looks, how does the DS lite operate? Just by turning the system on and looking at the screen where you choose DS game, GBA game, Pictochat, etc. the change from the DS to the lite is immediately noticable. Everything is so much brighter and much clearer. There are four levels of brightness for the lite and I think it would have been fine with just three because level four actually hurts my eyes.

The first game I played on it was New Super Mario Bros. and when I reached the menu screen, I was amazed. The colors are absoloutely amazing. Everything looks so much better and clearer on the lite that I don't want to ever look at a normal DS again. The better colors make all of the games look so much better and the screens actually improve the graphics to a certain extent. There is a new level of detail in games, such as Metroid Prime Hunters and New Super Mario Bros. that makes the games even more fun to play. Having played through most of NSMB on the old DS, I am definately going to go through on the lite and see what the levels truly were designed to look like.

The DS lite does everything that it was designed to do. It is much smaller, more comfortable, it looks better, it has amazing colors, the screens are beyond bright, and it is lighter. There are really only two downsides that I have found after playing with it for about 5 hours. What I think is the biggest problem with it is that there seems to be a slight downgrade in the quality of the speakers. It is hardly noticeable and if you are not an audiophile like me, you may not notice it at all. They just seem like they aren't quite as clear as the ones in the original DS. Another problem is that if I want to make the system brighter or dimmer, I have to shut it down and go to the main menu. There should have been a button on the face of the system for that. Aside from these two little things, though, the system is really great and is definately worth the $130. The color and look matches that of the Wii, so when it finally comes out, we can place the two side by side and name them Shiggy and Reggie!! I have also heard that if you buy the system at Best Buy or Circuit City, you get a free copy of Brain Age. Check out all of these pictures that I took of the DS lite so you can get an idea of the size.
My wish came true!


















DS to Wii Connectivity

Remember connecting your GBA to the Gamecube? It was pretty cool with Crystal Chronicles and Zelda: Four Swords, but it was too annoying to have to hook everything up and buy the extra adapter. Well, DS to Wii connectivity will certainly be much easier and more fun. Nintendo has said that you will be able to use the DS as a touch screen controller for the Wii, DS software can be expanded using the Wii, and the DS can access DS Station services via the Wii and get demos. Games such as Pokemon Battle Revolution can connect with Pokemon Diamond and Pearl on the DS, and you can see your Pokemon on the TV with Wii graphics.

Price and Date by September

Satoru Iwata recently stated that Nintendo will anounce the price and release date of the Wii by September. So far all we know is that it will be $250 or lower and that it will be released in Q4 of 2006.