Wii Warm Up: Disaster planning
Filed under: Wii Warm Up
After delays and uncertainty, Disaster: Day of Crisis finally came out in Europe and Japan — and pretty much bombed. New information suggests that Disaster may be planned for a North American release (although we suspect it’s more that said release was planned years ago when the game was first unveiled, and just has yet to be cancelled).
But should it? Do you think the game has a better chance here than in other regions? Would you have any expectation of sales, especially given Reggie’s low confidence (and thus low likelihood of promotion)? Personally, we want to play it and we don’t much care if Nintendo of America profits on it or not. They’ve got enough money, but we don’t have enough copies of Disaster. Feel free to speak from the position of “armchair business analyst” or “person who wants to play a game”!
Gallery: Disaster: Day of Crisis
Wii Warm Up: Disaster planning originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Wii Warm Up: Disaster planning
Filed under: Wii Warm Up
After delays and uncertainty, Disaster: Day of Crisis finally came out in Europe and Japan — and pretty much bombed. New information suggests that Disaster may be planned for a North American release (although we suspect it’s more that said release was planned years ago when the game was first unveiled, and just has yet to be cancelled).
But should it? Do you think the game has a better chance here than in other regions? Would you have any expectation of sales, especially given Reggie’s low confidence (and thus low likelihood of promotion)? Personally, we want to play it and we don’t much care if Nintendo of America profits on it or not. They’ve got enough money, but we don’t have enough copies of Disaster. Feel free to speak from the position of “armchair business analyst” or “person who wants to play a game”!
Gallery: Disaster: Day of Crisis
Wii Warm Up: Disaster planning originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Disaster back on the train to Rumorsville
Filed under: Rumors
We’ve been pessimistic about Disaster: Day of Crisis getting localized for North America, and with (what we believe to be) good reason. Now, the will-it-won’t-it saga has taken another twist, after Go Nintendo reader Silver Lunar received an email from Nintendo customer support saying the game would be released in the region.
Okay, we know. Some guy saying he got an email from Nintendo customer support is exactly the kind of anecdote we’d usually snort derisively at, and you’re right: we should all treat this with a degree of suspicion. That said, Go Nintendo’s RMC received screencaps of Silver Lunar’s email exchange with the big N, and reckons it’s the real thing. If you’ll excuse us, we’ll shamelessly grasp at any straws tossed our way. Pleeeeease be true, lovely Disaster rumor.
Gallery: Disaster: Day of Crisis
Disaster back on the train to Rumorsville originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Day of Disaster back on the train to Rumorsville
Filed under: Rumors
We’ve been pessimistic about Disaster: Day of Crisis getting localized for North America, and with (what we believe to be) good reason. Now, the will-it-won’t-it saga has taken another twist, after Go Nintendo reader Silver Lunar received an email from Nintendo customer support saying the game would be released in the region.
Okay, we know. Some guy saying he got an email from Nintendo customer support is exactly the kind of anecdote we’d usually snort derisively at, and you’re right: we should all treat this with a degree of suspicion. That said, Go Nintendo’s RMC received screencaps of Silver Lunar’s email exchange with the big N, and reckons it’s the real thing. If you’ll excuse us, we’ll shamelessly grasp at any straws tossed our way. Pleeeeease be true, lovely Disaster rumor.
Gallery: Disaster: Day of Crisis
Day of Disaster back on the train to Rumorsville originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Monolith reflects on Disaster non-sales, mentions a sequel
Filed under: Interviews
It is difficult to envisage a second Disaster: Day of Crisis game, for two reasons:
- How any follow-up could top the unlikely mélange of disasters (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, terrorists, bears) that featured in the first game is beyond us. Perhaps an asteroid?
- Sales of the first game. Or the lack thereof.
Nevertheless, developer Monolith Soft is at least open to the idea of a Disaster 2. In an interview with Cubed3, Director Keiichi Ono revealed that “…there were so many wonderful options [in the game]. We would like to see the possibility for them, if we have chance to develop the sequel…” The sequel? Or a sequel? The difference is pretty crucial! While we’re not exactly taking that as rock-solid confirmation of Ray’s return, it’s an interesting remark.
To bring us back down to earth, Nintendo’s Hitoshi Yamagami reminded us of why the first game might not even come to North America, describing how Disaster is “performing lower than expected” at the tills.
Gallery: Disaster: Day of Crisis
Monolith reflects on Disaster non-sales, mentions a sequel originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Alternate ending suggests potential Disaster sequel [update]
![120e3_disaster1112 Alternate ending suggests potential Disaster sequel [update]](http://wii.wowgoldit.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/120e3_disaster1112.jpg "Alternate ending suggests potential Disaster sequel [update]")
[Update: Thanks to some of our commenters, we now have a better idea what's going on here. This is the introduction to an unlockable shooting minigame, rather than an unused ending. So instead of a lead-in to a sequel that won't happen, it's just a video from a game whose sequel won't happen.]
WARNING: If you don’t want to spoil the incredibly obvious storyIine of Disaster: Day of Crisis, do not watch this video. We’ve put it after the break in case you don’t want the game’s epic plot ruined by even one preview frame.
It seems that Nintendo and Monolith Soft may have seen sequels in Disaster: Day of Crisis‘s future. Unfortunately, they didn’t foresee the biggest disaster of all — the release of Disaster: Day of Crisis, which turned out to be a powerful bomb capable of creating a sales vacuum.
Even though this clip, found in the game’s theatre, creates a clear opening for a sequel, we wouldn’t hold our breath in anticipation of the continued adventures of Raymond Bryce and his ornate beard. For one thing, this is just an extra video and not the real ending. Also, obviously, game companies prefer to make money. However, it’s pretty entertaining to see the jokey, ham-fisted manner in which they teased a sequel.
Gallery: Disaster: Day of Crisis
![976fd_45138_dd_wii_p14_02_psd_jpgcopy_thumbnail Alternate ending suggests potential Disaster sequel [update]](http://wii.wowgoldit.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/976fd_45138_dd_wii_p14_02_psd_jpgcopy_thumbnail.jpg "Alternate ending suggests potential Disaster sequel [update]")
![8b745_45137_dd_wii_p30_04_psd_jpgcopy_thumbnail Alternate ending suggests potential Disaster sequel [update]](http://wii.wowgoldit.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/8b745_45137_dd_wii_p30_04_psd_jpgcopy_thumbnail.jpg "Alternate ending suggests potential Disaster sequel [update]")
![65407_45141_a_a__psd_jpgcopy_thumbnail Alternate ending suggests potential Disaster sequel [update]](http://wii.wowgoldit.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/65407_45141_a_a__psd_jpgcopy_thumbnail.jpg "Alternate ending suggests potential Disaster sequel [update]")
![aa85f_45135_dd_wii_p17_03_psd_jpgcopy_thumbnail Alternate ending suggests potential Disaster sequel [update]](http://wii.wowgoldit.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/aa85f_45135_dd_wii_p17_03_psd_jpgcopy_thumbnail.jpg "Alternate ending suggests potential Disaster sequel [update]")
![f1673_45134_dd_wii_p21_03_psd_jpgcopy_thumbnail Alternate ending suggests potential Disaster sequel [update]](http://wii.wowgoldit.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/f1673_45134_dd_wii_p21_03_psd_jpgcopy_thumbnail.jpg "Alternate ending suggests potential Disaster sequel [update]")
Alternate ending suggests potential Disaster sequel [update] originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Disaster: Days of Nobody Buying It
A promise made by Reggie Fils-Aime means that North American Disaster: Day of Crisis fans have an active interest in how the game fares in Europe. If it sells enough copies on the other side of the Atlantic, Reggie has suggested a U.S. release will be considered. Sounds fair to us. The only problem? It’s selling really badly in Europe.
According to the latest European sales charts, the game failed to reach the UK top forty, the Irish or Norwegian top twenty, or the Dutch, German, or Spanish top ten. More worryingly still, Monolith’s title wasn’t even amongst the top fifty Wii releases in the UK last week. Oo-er. Such a meek performance in Disaster’s opening week doesn’t exactly convince us we’ll be seeing a Stateside release. We’d love nothing more than to be proved wrong and see Nintendo of America take a gamble.
Source: Brits prefer their Wii Fits
Source: Ireland isn’t biting
Source: Holland bought more copies of Mario Party 8 last week
Source: Norway says “nor way” to Disaster
Source: Monolith’s game knows only pain in Germany and Spain
Gallery: Disaster: Day of Crisis
Disaster: Days of Nobody Buying It originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Nintendo directs Pikmin remake to North America
Filed under: News
Nintendo has published a list of Wii releases for 2009, and while it’s some way from being a complete list, the news for North America ranges from great to ominous. We want to start this post on a happy note, so we’ll begin by saying: the Play on Wii remake of Pikmin — just the first game — is totally coming to the U.S. The schedule also confirms the Mario Power Tennis remake for the States, so it looks like those two will lead the brand off here.
But there’s worrying news as well. For one, Disaster: Day of Crisis still isn’t down for a North American release. Okay, so this isn’t actually that surprising, as Reggie (who isn’t the title’s biggest fan, remember) has said all along that any U.S. release hinges on the performance of the game in Europe. As Disaster only came out in Europe last Friday, we still don’t know how it fared, though will find out soon enough. Also missing are numerous Play on Wii remakes, including Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Chibi-Robo, and the two Metroid Primes.
We’ll say this again, just in case: this is definitely a bare-bones list, with not every Wii release of next year featuring. We’re not about to give up on getting Disaster just yet.
[Via Siliconera]
Nintendo directs Pikmin remake to North America originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Say what you think: Reggie lays into Disaster: Day of Crisis
Filed under: News
If you thought our 7/10 review for Disaster: Day of Crisis was harsh, you should hear what Reggie Fils-Aime — yeah, that Reggie Fils-Aime — thinks about it. Twenty-five minutes into IGN’s latest Nintendo Voice Chat podcast, Matt Casamassina revealed how Reggie “doesn’t think Disaster is a $50 game,” and regards the audio as “laughable.” Burrrrn.
We have to confess we’re slightly dumbfounded to hear Reggie delivering such a hefty haymaker to one of his company’s own games … while speaking on the record, as well. We suppose it’s, uh, refreshing? Here’s hoping personal feelings don’t sway his decision on whether or not Disaster makes it to the U.S.!
Gallery: Disaster: Day of Crisis
[Via Infendo]
Say what you think: Reggie lays into Disaster: Day of Crisis originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Wii Fanboy Review: Disaster: Day of Crisis
Filed under: Reviews
If Disaster: Day of Crisis were a movie, it would be one of those big, dumb, summer blockbusters, the kind of feature where it’s best to leave your brain at the door.
Although that might sound like a criticism, it’s not intended that way, because just like over-the-top, thought-free action flicks, Disaster can serve as a guilty pleasure. It’s got a Seagal-esque hero who must be one of the most resistant, hardened one-man armies of all time, tons of implausible “escaping death” scenarios, and a script that’s cheesier than an explosion in a Roquefort factory. Yet despite all of this, I enjoyed it. Mostly.
Gallery: Disaster: Day of Crisis
Disaster follows the deeply clichéd story of Raymond Bryce, a crisis specialist/professional rescuer left troubled by the death of a colleague, Steve, in a rescue mission. Just before plummeting face first into a river of lava, the soon-to-be-toast Steve makes Ray promise he’ll watch over Lisa, Steve’s sister. The game kicks off a year later, by which time a remorseful Ray has given up the rescuing, and has been unable to face Lisa through guilt. You can watch pretty much all of this here, incidentally, and marvel at the cheese for yourself.
The setting for all of this is Blue Ridge City, which is experiencing a rotten run of luck. Things start badly with a devastating earthquake, which in turn triggers a tsunami, a volcanic eruption, and a flood. Nukes and a rogue special forces unit who kidnap — surprise! — Lisa are also woven into the plot. Motivated by his desire to keep his promise to Steve, Ray grows up and sets about rescuing the distressed damsel.
Jokes about minigame compilations on the Wii are well-worn by now, but that’s essentially what a lot of Disaster feels like: twelve hours of pointing, twisting, waving and pulling your Wiimote and nunchuk, occasionally broken up with third-person adventure bits or (impressive) cinematics. The good news is that most of the varied spots of gameplay work well, or at least competently. Crucially, they never outstay their welcome.
During combat, the on-screen furniture can really pile up.
Yet for me, Disaster’s trump card is the driving sections. You steer through these with the Wii Remote held horizontally, as in Mario Kart Wii, and there’s a pleasing sense of weight and inertia to your vehicle, as well as the most polished graphics in the entire game. Indeed, my fondest memory of Disaster came in one of the driving chapters, as I fled from a towering pyroclastic flow (the game likes its jargon) in a genuinely thrilling sequence.
Driving and shooting aside, you’ll also find yourself rescuing victims, administering first aid, pulling people to safety, extinguishing fires with a fire engine, navigating your way past junk after being submerged in a tsunami, and, well, you get the idea. Every part of Disaster that could have been molded into a minigame has been molded into a minigame, and although that has been a recipe for many a poorly structured title in the past, these disparate styles flow together surprisingly coherently.
Monolith has even added a very light RPG element to Disaster, where Ray and his weapons can be upgraded between each stage. Ray’s attributes (skill with firearms, item-carrying capacity, focus, metabolism, and strength) are enhanced using Survival Points, earned for rescuing hapless members of the public. Having completed the game, I’m not exactly sure how important it was for me to upgrade Ray — I have a sneaking suspicion I could have made it through without pumping up his stats — but still felt motivated enough to track down as many victims as I could find.
Battle Points are gained through defeating enemies, and can be used to improve your arsenal (by upping power, reload speed, magazine capacity, aiming, and accuracy). Dispatching baddies with some flair pays dividends, with head shots and “clever shots” (basically, blowing up conveniently placed explosive barrels next to your enemies) awarding more BPs. At the very least, the SP/BP set-up provides the game with an extra layer of depth, and some players may be motivated to replay the game just to grab everything on the weapons tree, or complete every shooting gallery. I wasn’t bothered by this, but you might be.
On the subject of replay value, Disaster encourages second visits through its aforementioned grades system (getting an “S” ranking on every stage was well beyond my meager skills), but also through “titles,” which work similarly to Achievements on the Xbox 360. There are 100 of these to earn, and they’re rewarded for all manner of feats (covering 10,000 meters in the game, keeping your car in perfect condition, dying a certain number of times, dealing out x amount of damage).
The driving sections: consistently ace.
Overall, Disaster’s failures are made more forgivable due to the fact that it’s mostly entertaining from start to finish. That said, it’s certainly a flawed creature. The visuals lack consistency, ranging from great (again, some of the driving bits are stunning) to … pretty damn poor, actually (see: the blocky, Dreamcast-standard NPCs and the fire effects, both of which combine with unfortunate results on the fourth stage). It also sports dumb AI, not to mention a truly lunkheaded plot, featuring weak voice-acting and stock characters who are difficult to care about.
Here, however, I refer you back to my introduction: if viewed as a “guilty pleasure” slice of entertainment, and with your expectations of a thoughtful story lowered accordingly, Disaster is an enjoyable way to spend a dozen hours. It’s arcadey, and a bit silly, but there’s no getting away from the fact that a disaster zone is simply a really interesting place to set a game, and this is what kept me playing. Watching buildings crumble around you as you walk through Blue Ridge City’s deserted streets, sprinting for your life from tsunamis, or fleeing surges of lava is, more often than not, a spectacle.
Final score: 7/10
Looking for a game? Be sure to swing by our retail review archive, where you can easily jump to conclusions based on score alone, or access our full reviews, if you’re so inclined. There’s even a page for WiiWare reviews!| Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments |
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Top 10 Best Selling Games
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