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[Mrbob]

These seem like good $5 downloadable titles, but as $20 stand-alone games, the majority of them seem to be guilty of everything Drinky & Co. accused the new Nintendo of being.

This is what I'm thinking too. I would pay $5 for something like this, but $20 is too much.

 

[TheGreatDave]

I'd happily pay full price for Dotstream. Really been enjoying it today, more than a lot of full price titles.

The games themselves don't use music as part of the gameplay, but music and sound effects all work well together

 

[Archie]

I would assume the $20 price tag is to cover the physical costs of the game (cartridge, box, etc). I hope Nintendo makes more games like these for $5 on VC, where those costs don't exist.

 

[Senretsu]

looks pretty cool. I'm also on the fence if i'd pay the full price, $20 isn't as bad as I was thinking it was going to be for some reason. One thing I noticed lately they seem to do differently from other companies advertising is that they show the player playing the game. I just thought that was interesting.

 

[Deku]

people approaching this from the pov of VC or Xbl arcade miss the point.

These games are small and simple, but that doesn't speak to their value. These are really non-traditional visual games in the tradition of tempest, asteroids, space war.

Other than remakes, games like that don't get made anymore and they are still as enjoyable today as they were 20 years ago.

 

[jgkspsx]

My problem with the series is that most of the games seem very shallow and not altogether fun. For the record, I think Dotstream and Orbital (planetary Katamari Damacy -- how can it go wrong?!) look to be worth the $20, so I bought them. Both these games have a very clearly designed level structure and set of objectives; their gameplay is easy to figure out from watching them and of sufficient complexity to be central attractions.

Boundish:
I still enjoy Pong -- a great deal, in fact. I won't pay $20 for it no matter how many skins are available. (And no Breakout-like mode? For shame.)

Dialhex:
Looks like a fun concept, but from what I've seen it's very straightforward and purely geometric. The classic arcade games we remember generally had a great art style (Joust, Asteroids, Battlezone) and a fairly complex set of interactions -- not the case for a straightforward, geometric puzzle game that could almost be created in reality.

Digidrive:
I may totally misunderstand this. I've watched all the videos since the first announcement, and as near as I can tell it's a game in which you direct traffic. It almost seems like a retarded version of Chu Chu Rocket. If anyone understands what this game is and I'm wrong, please explain it!

Soundvoyager:
This may be a victim of unwarranted anticipation. I had visions of a music-based Rez-like game with game objectives similar to Star Raiders. (Don't ask me why, I just did.) Instead, it's a bunch of sound-based minigames that test your auditory spacial perception. The graphics are literally dots.

Coloris:
Another victim of anticipation. I thought it would be a Lights Out clone, which would still be shallow (and there's already one available on the GBA), but instead it seems to be a dumbed-down version of Bejeweled (or the puzzle mode of Zookeeper). I'm not sure if it's more or less dumbed-down than the original, but it doesn't look very promising.

So, yeah, I agree, they're stylish and have nice boxes. But will you play most of these for more than a week? Will you be playing them three months after you buy them?

 

[Lee N]

I may totally misunderstand this. I've watched all the videos since the first announcement, and as near as I can tell it's a game in which you direct traffic. It almost seems like a retarded version of Chu Chu Rocket. If anyone understands what this game is and I'm wrong, please explain it!

I asked Dylan of Q-Games about this, and this is his response:

I can tell you what has already been announced about Digidrive... ie. that it's a puzzle game based on traffic control. It's actually very simplistic at it's heart, in that you simply guide the different shapes and colours of cars into the same lane as each other. But after that, the "action puzzle" element kicks in and you start building up combos, gambling and doubling them up, increasing your risk of losing everything on the way... and then discovering how to obtain "Autobahn" mode, where all four directions are "reached"... which at first you think is just by luck. (well it's luck in the same way as the timing of the 4x1 tetris piece is luck)

Anyway, I could go on and on ;-)
The music is excellent too... and there are lots of unlockable goodies and the like.

 

[TheGreatDave]

So, yeah, I agree, they're stylish and have nice boxes. But will you play most of these for more than a week? Will you be playing them three months after you buy them?

I play very few games three months after I buy them. The majority of games I buy are just to be played until I get sick of them; so long as I enjoy my time with them I'm fine with it.

But I do think I'll play Dotstream for a good while. It has a Mario 1ness to it in that I just enjoy playing it, even when I don't need to achieve anything.

 

[Matrix]

This is what I'm thinking too. I would pay $5 for something like this, but $20 is too much.

:lol

Coming from you who rebuys things over and over thats classic boobs

 

[Emotions]

This is what I'm thinking too. I would pay $5 for something like this, but $20 is too much.

You wouldn't buy them because they're on a Nintendo system . Any Nintendo game-system = you automatically hate on. Go back playing your yearly generic EA sports.

On topic, i'm so buying these games. Thanks for the impressions Sp0rsk.

 

[DJ Sl4m]

You wouldn't buy them because they're on a Nintendo system . Any Nintendo game-system = you automatically hate on. Go back playing your yearly generic EA sports.

On topic, i'm so buying these games. Thanks for the impressions Sp0rsk.

You really should follow his posts more if you're going to critique his posting habits, he says the same things about small short games on Live Arcade regularly, but of course aknowledging that wouldn't help the agenda ;p

 

[Emotions]

You really should follow his posts more if you're going to critique his posting habits, he says the same things about small short games on Live Arcade regularly, but of course aknowledging that wouldn't help the agenda ;p

We are talking about handheld games here, not Live Arcade games, he makes negative posts in almost every Nintendo thread , he's the one with the agenda, but i don't mind him
he can be funny sometimes unlike some other posts with agendas.

 

[RaySpencer]

I'm really enjoying Dotstream. I've got Boundish as well. It's kinda easy, although Wild Go Round is pretty tricky.

Dotstream is the star of the bunch though. Awesome music, great gameplay, and original and traditional at the same time. I uploaded an MP3 here.

thats awesome music, DL it people !

 

[TheGreatDave]

It actually gets better the further in you go. I think each track you play has it's own unique song. If it doesn't, then there's at least a good number in the game.

 

[Shiggy]

I think it's interesting to note that every game beside Digidrive, which was done by the StarFox Command developer Q-Games, was developed by the former (just before Giftpia was finished, right then development was handed to them) Chibi-Robo development division of Skip Ltd.
In fact, it was their first work that was released.

Coloris features Keigo's Oyamada's (Cornelius?) sound (and according to Skip: his colorful color co-starring).

For more information visit their website:
www.skiptokyo.com

 

[ThirdEye]

These games should be sold on the virtual console for $10 or less.

 

[TheGreatDave]

These games should be sold on the virtual console for $10 or less.

I wouldn't want to play these games on the Virtual Console. They're perfect for handheld gaming.

They're worth more than $10 anyway. Well, some of them.

 

[Shiggy]

These games should be sold on the virtual console for $10 or less.

They shouldn't.

 

[sprsk]

im hoping this is what the VC will have. not shitty pc shareware games but really cool ****ing console games.

My problem with the series is that most of the games seem very shallow and not altogether fun. For the record, I think Dotstream and Orbital (planetary Katamari Damacy -- how can it go wrong?!) look to be worth the $20, so I bought them. Both these games have a very clearly designed level structure and set of objectives; their gameplay is easy to figure out from watching them and of sufficient complexity to be central attractions.

Boundish:
I still enjoy Pong -- a great deal, in fact. I won't pay $20 for it no matter how many skins are available. (And no Breakout-like mode? For shame.)

Dialhex:
Looks like a fun concept, but from what I've seen it's very straightforward and purely geometric. The classic arcade games we remember generally had a great art style (Joust, Asteroids, Battlezone) and a fairly complex set of interactions -- not the case for a straightforward, geometric puzzle game that could almost be created in reality.

Digidrive:
I may totally misunderstand this. I've watched all the videos since the first announcement, and as near as I can tell it's a game in which you direct traffic. It almost seems like a retarded version of Chu Chu Rocket. If anyone understands what this game is and I'm wrong, please explain it!

Soundvoyager:
This may be a victim of unwarranted anticipation. I had visions of a music-based Rez-like game with game objectives similar to Star Raiders. (Don't ask me why, I just did.) Instead, it's a bunch of sound-based minigames that test your auditory spacial perception. The graphics are literally dots.

Coloris:
Another victim of anticipation. I thought it would be a Lights Out clone, which would still be shallow (and there's already one available on the GBA), but instead it seems to be a dumbed-down version of Bejeweled (or the puzzle mode of Zookeeper). I'm not sure if it's more or less dumbed-down than the original, but it doesn't look very promising.

So, yeah, I agree, they're stylish and have nice boxes. But will you play most of these for more than a week? Will you be playing them three months after you buy them?

woah woah woah

Okay let me address some points here. Dotstream and dialhex are rather deep and fun. I actually played dotstream and at first i was like "eeeehhhhh cool presentation but tis so damn easy" then i got to the second race and tried formation mode and realized the game was just letting me win. Theres all KINDS of strategy in this game. Boundish, however, needed wifi on the DS, 1p is pretty crappy but i guess thats the point of pong (to play 2p). If it wasnt for the juggle mode i wouldnt recommend it at any price for someone who sint gonna play multiplayer.

Dialhex at first was really hard to play. Getting a full dial to clear, at first, was really intimidating and i kept thinking to myself "how the ****". but once i figured out one way all sorts of different ways kept coming to me and clearing dials kept getting easier and easier. Unfortunately for me though the games speed eventually got faster than i could make the dials and i couldnt make it past clearing red dials. The two different types of mass clears also add a bit of depth. The white special clears all of one color and thats good for isolating the one color you need to clear to get to the next dial. The black is good for when youre in trouble but you really need to think about where you clear it or youll end up losing all of the color you need to get to the next dial. The game has extra mdoes to keep you into the game, but ive only unlocked endless for now. It may seem intimidating and bleh at first, but when it clicks, it clicks.


as for the rest of the stuff you said, i guess no comment considering none of those games are out.

 

[TheGreatDave]

I hate how good Dotstream is, because it makes me want the set

 

[john tv]

sporks -- did you come out Thurs. night? I just realized I didn't see you. Maybe I got there after you left? (I showed up around 11:30).

Sorry, back on-topic -- if I were to buy only one of these today, which should it be? Sounds like probably dotstream?

 

[TheGreatDave]

100% Dotstream.

 

[sprsk]

sporks -- did you come out Thurs. night? I just realized I didn't see you. Maybe I got there after you left? (I showed up around 11:30).

Sorry, back on-topic -- if I were to buy only one of these today, which should it be? Sounds like probably dotstream?

yeah i always leave around 10:30 cause my lst train is like 11:07 and i gotta wake up next day at 6:30.

edit: get dstream and dialhex together its only 4,000 yen and im sure you can actually find them cheaper than that.

 

[Drakken]

Dotstream sounds and looks really interesting. The movie on Nintendo's website was neat; it sounds like there's a lot of music (and it's good).

 

[Srider]

holy shit dialhex is probably one of the most addicting games ever.

I can't stop playing this game, so far i've gotten up to the light blue blocks.... 8th color in, only two more.....







People need to get dialhex asap, if you like puzzle games that is. The strategy in this game is going to take you a while to figure out, but like sporsk said, when it clicks, it clicks. It gets so fun after that.

 

[TheGreatDave]

I just got on to the third set of GPs on Dotstream, and it's really hard. But on the plus side, the music has gone from awesome to about 5 steps above that. It's perfectly fitting the at times frantic gameplay.

 

[japtor]

People need to get dialhex asap, if you like puzzle games that is. The strategy in this game is going to take you a while to figure out, but like sporsk said, when it clicks, it clicks. It gets so fun after that.

got any tips? my head couldnt work with hexes at all when i tried it.

I just got on to the third set of GPs on Dotstream, and it's really hard. But on the plus side, the music has gone from awesome to about 5 steps above that. It's perfectly fitting the at times frantic gameplay.

i just got incredibly lucky on the plazma gp. i had an 8 point lead going into the last race, which i dont think ive ever finished...and this time was no different actually. but the closest dot ended up 4th or something so i ended up winning by 3 points.

i also tried out formation a bit more earlier today with just the right, a, and r abilities unlocked. got to 619 points or dots or whatever. couldve gotten more but i was getting bored, and lost all but one or two extra lines by that point (i think i maxed out the lines at one point at least).

 

[TheGreatDave]

I was playing formation all day thinking you were somehow competing with the lines that appeared :lol I finally tried playing it properly before, only got to 166.

I've tried Plazma once; I finished one track, in last place

 

[Jonnyram]

Formation mode is awesome... I got near the end of the last long bar with only the first two abilities (a and d-pad right), then all those narrow parts messed with my head. I've only beaten two GPs though. Lightning is taking a bit of beating.

 

[kiryogi]

So, are dotstream and dialhex the must have of all of'em?

 

[Stryder]

I dunno yet, I think I'm gonna pick up dotstream but want to wait for impressions on the second wave of them before placing an order. Famitsu scores should be out soon for the others, shouldn't they? Which of the next wave of them do you guys think will be considerable to pick up? That traffic directing one looks alright.

 

[sprsk]

So, are dotstream and dialhex the must have of all of'em?

those are the good 2 of the 3 that are out now.

 

[MrSardonic]

I like the music for dotstream. I'd snap up games like dotstream on the VC if they were nice and cheap. I'd have to find a reason NOT to purchase that sort of game for a few $

 

[polg]

so that bit-g is like a bulletin board or something...
what's the general opinion of the japanese public?

 

[Lyte Edge]

So, are dotstream and dialhex the must have of all of'em?

Well, I'd probably say dotstream is the must-have, but Boundish is definitely not really worth bothering with unless you just want them all.

As fun as these games are, they are very simplisic, and I can't help but think that they'd do much better as cell phone games instead of GBA games.

 

[japtor]

dotstream is the best by far, its pretty great. might be the best racer on gba, not that theres all that many good ones to begin with. the sound and music is great, and the basic racing mechanics are pretty nice once you get the hang of it. the level design can be hellish at times, but in a good hard kind of way. the graphics work well for the game, and are sort of necessary with the small resolution and amount of crap that goes on. it can get pretty hectic in the tight spots and any more graphic fluff would just make it worse.

 

[Walter Matthau]

Do the boxes look nice when aligned next to each other. This is probably the most shallow statement i've made as a gamer, but it'd make me more interested in purchasing the titles.

 

[TheGreatDave]

Yeah. On the side of each box is a shiney version of the main logo from the front, and on the bottom, all the logos are on each box, with the logo of the game itself being in color, the others in silver.

 

[thetrin]

This is what I'm thinking too. I would pay $5 for something like this, but $20 is too much.

You buy MADDEN every year. Wtf are you talking about?

 

[jgkspsx]

im hoping this is what the VC will have. not shitty pc shareware games but really cool ****ing console games.

You and me both.

Okay let me address some points here. Dotstream and dialhex are rather deep and fun. I actually played dotstream and at first i was like "eeeehhhhh cool presentation but tis so damn easy" then i got to the second race and tried formation mode and realized the game was just letting me win. Theres all KINDS of strategy in this game.

Dialhex at first was really hard to play. Getting a full dial to clear, at first, was really intimidating and i kept thinking to myself "how the ****". but once i figured out one way all sorts of different ways kept coming to me and clearing dials kept getting easier and easier.

Anyway, I'm not knocking Dotstream at all. I watched the vids, I bought it, and it looks to be what I wanted every game in this series to be: a graphically simplistic but compelling game. A Vectrex version of FZero GX sounds pretty awesome to me!

It's Dialhex and the others I listed that seem a bit of a stretch as standalone cartridges. But, hey, I don't want to knock them. If Nintendo actually starts publishing indie games as a result of this experiment, I'll be really impressed (and surprised, actually).

 

[Matrix]

Play-asia shipped my copy It says usually ships in one week next to dotstream,but I guess thats not the case.

 

[jj984jj]

You buy at least one version of MADDEN every year. Wtf are you talking about?

Fixed.

 

[FortNinety]

I REALLY hope these games don't become super rare and hard to import in only a few months. I really can't afford many games right now...

 

[Walter Matthau]

Picked up all three of them. If they turn out well, i'll pick up the next 4.

 

[ZeoVGM]

couple questions, if someone who knows what they're talking about could answer:

a) is there any chance of these games coming to the US in the same form they are in Japan?
b) if not, is there word of a compilation or something for the US on GBA or even DS
c) are they planning bit generation games for the DS?
d) how are they selling in japan?

 

[Jonnyram]

a-c) doubt it
d) the three sold a combination of less than 10k on the first day, so not exactly stellar sales. But they could have legs like lots of other Nintendo games. Expect lots of word of mouth sales for some of these games.

 

[mutsu]

Expect lots of word of mouth sales for some of these games.

NeoGAF is definitely doing that! :lol :lol Dotstream no.1 sales at Play-Asia in the Gameboy category.

 

[japtor]

NeoGAF is definitely doing that! :lol :lol Dotstream no.1 sales at Play-Asia in the Gameboy category.

its the best, screw the rest!

anyways, not that dotstream really has any spoilers or anything, but

Spoiler

the unlockables consist of one class 4 gp, along with a credit sequence

.

also, i never really bothered to check, but i think every race does indeed have its own music and set of sound effects.

 

[Jado]

I'm nearly sold on Dotstream. I hope some of you who already own it can bump this in a few days or a week and comment on replayability and if you're still finding it fun and challenging.

 

[Shiggy]

couple questions, if someone who knows what they're talking about could answer:

a) is there any chance of these games coming to the US in the same form they are in Japan?
b) if not, is there word of a compilation or something for the US on GBA or even DS
c) are they planning bit generation games for the DS?
d) how are they selling in japan?

a) We'll probably get more information concerning this topic in August, although that would be for Europe only. NA didn't even get Polarium Advance ...hmm...
b) No, most likely won't happen.
c) There'll be more games from the bit Generations in future according to Skip Ltd., a system is unknown. (DS or Wii VC)
d) I think Nintendo didn't expect high sales, but the sales are extremly low imo.