• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Cave Story for WiiWare: (Finally) The Official Thread

I think the new music is just as good as the old stuff. Seems more smoothed at the edges, if you will. I'll definitely be playing through with all the new stuff on first just to see and hear what it's like.

Only thing that caught me off guard was the button layout on classic controller. A and B do the same thing, which I am most definitely not used to.
 

hatchx

Banned
zigg said:
Just wanted to come in and say (as a first-timer to this game)

  • No overscan problems for me—the floor is perfectly visible,
  • Holy cow, this is fun.
Had to turn the stereo down though. The sound effects are a bit hard-edged for it.


Are you on a widescreen display?


I want to download this but it sounds like the screen-cropping is a game-breaker. Not being able to see the floor would lead to a lot of cheap insta-deaths am I right?
 

Zek

Contempt For Challenge
Honestly if you don't see yourself playing the game twice I highly recommend looking up the basic steps for the best ending in a guide. The secret final level is hard as balls but my favorite part of the game. There are a few steps you have to follow starting at the end of the
labyrinth
, and for some of them if you miss them there's no going back.
 

Iam Canadian

and have the worst user name EVER
Yeah, my TV is widescreen and I haven't had any overscan problems at all. The game looks great, especially with the redrawn graphics. In the Egg Corridor, I saw the ceiling, the floor, and everything in between.

I played up to about halfway through Grasstown...or as they're calling it now, "Bushlands." My thoughts so far...

I'm mostly indifferent to the new translation (though I like how Kazuma and Sue use imperfect grammar and spelling in the IM scenes), except for one aspect that grates on me every time it comes up: Balrog's changed catchphrase. I'm sorry, but huzzah is better than oh yeeeah. D:

The new graphics are great. The new music...not so much. It sounds much blander than the original tracks to me. Also, the game has this weird issue where the music stops for a few seconds whenever there's a screen transition where the same music is kept; this wasn't present in the original PC version and it's rather distracting in the Mimiga Village and in certain cutscenes.

Finally, it seems really weird to me to have modes like Sanctuary Time Attack and Boss Rush accessible on the main menu right from the start. I have a feeling these were features intended to be DLC that got shoehorned into the main release for some reason. I don't see why they weren't made unlockable, though, since they act as pretty major spoilers for the main game.
 
hatchx said:
Are you on a widescreen display?


I want to download this but it sounds like the screen-cropping is a game-breaker. Not being able to see the floor would lead to a lot of cheap insta-deaths am I right?

It's really not game-breaking or hurting at all. The only time an insta-death thing is on the floor are the white thing in the Egg Corridor level (which you can see) and the large red spike traps (which are rather tall and easily visible).

The only time I even noticed was when the ceilings of some indoor areas are cut off a bit, or when a boss's health meter looks way too close to the bottom of the screen.
 

Harpuia

Member
Does anyone find the new music downright insulting? Man...I expected the remixes to be a little good...but the remixed 1st balrog fight music was just awful...
 

caromelo

Member
This thread reminds me to replay this awesome game again. IMO it's still one of the best platformers I've ever experienced. I've played through it before but I was never able to get the better ending and the secret final level. Huzzah!
 

Princess Skittles

Prince's's 'Skittle's
The game runs in 4x3 mode as far as I can tell. The menus when you hit the home button are thicker than I'm used too and the game looks more natural if I switch my TV to 4x3. Also, as mentioned before, the audio mix is jacked up really badly. The text bleeps are ear tearing (were they even in the PC version, I can't remember). Also, there's no way to return to the game's menus without hitting Home > Reset. Plus, another mention on the extra modes being there from the start, they should have been unlockables.

I guess those are all minor quibbles, but with how long the game was apparently delayed, you think this would be prefect, eh?

But hell, it's Cave Story on my TV and with a controller and that's all right to me!
 
My god. I WENT INSIDE AN EGG AS A SECRET PLACE!!!
This is the game I've been waiting for years, seriously. It's really cool. Feels like a SNES classic.
 

Shig

Strap on your hooker ...
Um, I think I just hit a game-breaking bug. For Kenka's puppy fetch quest in the Sand Zone, I can't pick up the one in Curly Brace's shack. I have all the other ones, but that one just says 'arf', no option to take it ever appears.
 

DDayton

(more a nerd than a geek)
TheFLYINGManga_Ka said:
I think I'm going to go get some points tonight. Good thing there's a 24hr Wal-Mart next to me!

But I have no money! *cry*

Ignoring your spoiler comment... why would you buy a point card rather than using a credit or debit card?
 
Shig said:
Um, I think I just hit a game-breaking bug. For Kenka's puppy fetch quest in the Sand Zone, I can't pick up the one in Curly Brace's shack. I have all the other ones, but that one just says 'arf', no option to take it ever appears.

I always had trouble getting that puppy in particular. There was something about talking/checking with someone around there before you could get the puppy. Definitely not a game-breaking bug.
 

Fantastical

Death Prophet
DavidDayton said:
Ignoring your spoiler comment... why would you buy a point card rather than using a credit or debit card?
Are points taxed when buying it through a credit card? Pretty sure they aren't when you buy a card...
 

Somnid

Member
DavidDayton said:
Ignoring your spoiler comment... why would you buy a point card rather than using a credit or debit card?

Because the Shop Channel doesn't work with my debit card. Yet ironically I can buy points on my JP DSi with it. Go figure.

Fantastical said:
Are points taxed when buying it through a credit card? Pretty sure they aren't when you buy a card...

Depends on your local tax. Some states tax and some don't. You can be guaranteed that a point card is subject to sales tax though.
 

gogojira

Member
Question I asked in the Nintendo Download thread:

gogojira said:
Picked up Cave Story, any recommendations on graphic/music settings? Should I go all new, all old, or a mix of the two? I was thinking maybe old music, new graphics, but I currently have it set to both being new.

Any recommendations? Based on a recent comment on the new music, I'm thinking going with the old isn't such a bad idea.
 

Shig

Strap on your hooker ...
thestopsign said:
I always had trouble getting that puppy in particular. There was something about talking/checking with someone around there before you could get the puppy. Definitely not a game-breaking bug.
Yeah, after I posted that I went back and talked to all the things in Curly's shack again, then one of 'em triggered the ability to take the puppy. Kind of obtuse that you need to be told to take it when you already know you need it.

Definitely go with the old music, gogojira. The new arrangement in the Sand Zone in particular is downright offensive to the ears.
 
Shig said:
Yeah, after I posted that I went back and talked to all the things in Curly's shack again, then one of 'em triggered the ability to take the puppy. Kind of obtuse that you need to be told to take it when you already know you need it.
Reminds me of how you needed to be taught the songs in Ocarina of Time before playing them did anything. I remember figuring out Saria's song by ear and playing it to someone who needed it played for them, and being annoyed that it didn't do anything because I hadn't officially learned it yet...
 
EmCeeGramr said:
There's also a couple of really clever secrets which players probably won't figure out the first time around; stuff that unlocks extra and extended levels, and the best ending.

A couple clever secrets...and one really dumb one :)
You see the professor fall in front of you...and you are supposed to just ignore him, and somehow that saves his life. There's nothing clever about that, nobody would do that unless they already knew not to do it, or were just experimenting to see what would happen. You get a hint later on that he was working on something better, but it doesn't make sense to just ignore him at that point.
 

ezekial45

Banned
Does anyone remember the name of the game that supposedly a clone of Cave Story? I remember seeing videos about it. One of the weapons was a chainsaw, and the graphics looked VERY similar to CS.

Does anyone remember the name?
 

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
Somnid said:
Depends on your local tax. Some states tax and some don't. You can be guaranteed that a point card is subject to sales tax though.

Bull. Florida will not tax you on PSN/MS/Wii point cards. No sales tax, either. So it isn't "guaranteed."

Sad to hear the mixed reaction to the port. Guess it's passable until they lower the price (does Nintendo do that on their service? I haven't bought anything off the Virtual Console or Wii Ware).
 

jman2050

Member
ezekial45 said:
Does anyone remember the name of the game that supposedly a clone of Cave Story? I remember seeing videos about it. One of the weapons was a chainsaw, and the graphics looked VERY similar to CS.

Does anyone remember the name?

The Underside?

Yeah, it being a clone of Cave Story is a running joke in the indie community, even though it clearly isn't (
or is it?
)
 
Dreamwriter said:
A couple clever secrets...and one really dumb one :)
You see the professor fall in front of you...and you are supposed to just ignore him, and somehow that saves his life. There's nothing clever about that, nobody would do that unless they already knew not to do it, or were just experimenting to see what would happen. You get a hint later on that he was working on something better, but it doesn't make sense to just ignore him at that point.
I ignored the professor my first time playing the game. Why's it so hard to believe that someone would take the top route instead of going down the hole? Especially since I tend to explore as much as possible when given the opportunity before doing something which I think is likely to advance the plot.
 

Solune

Member
TheSeks said:
Bull. Florida will not tax you on PSN/MS/Wii point cards. No sales tax, either. So it isn't "guaranteed."

Sad to hear the mixed reaction to the port. Guess it's passable until they lower the price (does Nintendo do that on their service? I haven't bought anything off the Virtual Console or Wii Ware).

I haven't heard of any price drops or anything of the sort as far as I know except for the SEGA sale that went on for select titles.(Someone confirm this with me?)
But I think that was a special case and also SEGA did that across all the platforms for certain titles.
So I'm pretty inclined to think Cave Story will stay at the 1200 point mark.
As for people complaining about the remixed music, that's why you have the option of the original music, no?
I haven't even played Cave Story yet(I will rectify this) but I don't see the need to complain if you have the option of having the other.
 
Got it. I like it. It's great!

It's got that Miyazaki-ish, Disney type of charm to it, you know what I mean? That feeling you get when you play a game that just has that special aura to it.

Basically, it's like a classic Nintendo game, only it's not from them! :lol
 

Lijik

Member
TheFLYINGManga_Ka said:
Basically, it's like a classic Nintendo game, only it's not from them! :lol

I think this nails it.
I couldn't shake this feeling earlier that I was ten years old and playing Links Awakening for the first time again. Can't believe that this game lives up to the hype so impeccably well.
 
Got it. Like it. Will keep playing it.

But nitpicking commences:
The new soundtrack has good songs, but they don't really fit the game's experience. I feel the music needs more bounce. Nice remixes, yes, but not for the game itself.

The original soundtrack is lower quality, lower volume, and poorly looped. I thought they ported the music-player, but they didn't. This is clearly using an mp3 of the songs and trying to get them to loop, despite it playing the opening each time. Still nice to have, but it is not highly implemented.

Sound effects are too loud. nuff said.

The extra content should be locked until the game is beaten. One available for beating it, one for beating the Sanctuary, and perhaps one for beating on Medium or Hard (or something). At least have them locked until the game is beaten. Having a boss rush immediately available sort of...makes it feel off.

No means to change graphics/audio or even go back to the main menu while the game is in play. Really? Chronos Twins DX did the same thing. Is it so hard to have that option available in games nowadays?

And finally, apparently there's a glitch with the map for Bushlands and Egg Corridor in New Graphics, from what I've been told.


Overall, it is a great game, no lie, but the work has "first game" written over it, from QA problems with Nintendo to the little problems seen here.

STILL I RECOMMEND IT. ITS FREAKING CAVE STORY. Of course, don't avoid Rage of the Gladiator and the other March WiiWare releases for it. They need love, too :<
 

LaneDS

Member
Yeah, I am torn on the music. The originals lack the oomph I expected for the reasons listed above, while the new music sounds a lot better (not in terms of the compositions, just in terms of volume/quality). At least to my untrained ears.

Either way, it's fantastic. I actually never got the true ending back when I played it years ago (couldn't remember where I had to go) so it made my decision to purchase this a little easier. Other than my inability on which music option to go with, the game is still fantastic.
 

Negator

Member
HEY
I'LL UPGRADE YOUR WEAPON
CMON, PICK ME UP
PICK ME UP
DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING
 
Wow, all this time, and that's the best they could do with the music? Some songs sound better...but most don't. And the item-reward ditties are just horrible. It's like they hired some composer to remix the songs...without ever letting the composer see or play the game with their songs in it, or even the original songs in it. Damn glad they left the option to play with the original music, but that's one of the big reasons I paid $12 for the thing, was the new music experience.

As for the sound effect and original music volumes, don't forget you can lower the SFX volume separately from music on the options screen. I lowered SFX almost all the way down, raised the volume a bit on my stereo, and it was perfect.
 

DDayton

(more a nerd than a geek)
Hmm.

The top and bottom of the screen are cut off -- and it's not just in game; pulling up the Home menu reveals that the Home screen is also being cut off on the top and bottom.
 

Ranger X

Member
DavidDayton said:
Hmm.

The top and bottom of the screen are cut off -- and it's not just in game; pulling up the Home menu reveals that the Home screen is also being cut off on the top and bottom.

This is in 16:9?
I play in 4:3 and don't have that.

And why do you guys play your Wii in 16:9?? stretched widescreen looks baaaad. I prefer the image displayed better/more natural.

.
 

Negator

Member
DavidDayton said:
Hmm.

The top and bottom of the screen are cut off -- and it's not just in game; pulling up the Home menu reveals that the Home screen is also being cut off on the top and bottom.


I had the same problem, but I changed the mode on my HDTV to "Stretch" and everything looked perfect. Apparently, this wasn't the only game this affected, but in a game like this it's the most noticeable.
 
Mejilan said:
I can't believe this actually came out.
Hey, didn't someone have a ban bet going on that it'd hit before the end of October 2009?
Whatever happened to that user? ;p

He's right here thanking the gods he wasn't banned, haha. It may be because I leaked some info on the DSi for new colors, though.
 

Princess Skittles

Prince's's 'Skittle's
Ranger X said:
And why do you guys play your Wii in 16:9?? stretched widescreen looks baaaad. I prefer the image displayed better/more natural.
Totally.

I try to switch my TV to 4x3 if I know a game is stretched (Shiren 3 and Cave Story, recently).
 

Doorman

Member
My screen is a little cut off when playing, but it has yet to have any negative effects as far as actual gameplay goes. I guess that doesn't really bother me, though I hope that Nicalis gets their act together by the time NightSky and La Mulana are due to come.

TheUnknownForce said:
Got it. Like it. Will keep playing it.

But nitpicking commences:
The new soundtrack has good songs, but they don't really fit the game's experience. I feel the music needs more bounce. Nice remixes, yes, but not for the game itself.

The original soundtrack is lower quality, lower volume, and poorly looped. I thought they ported the music-player, but they didn't. This is clearly using an mp3 of the songs and trying to get them to loop, despite it playing the opening each time. Still nice to have, but it is not highly implemented.
Bolded for major agreement. The new music is such a letdown to me, because for whatever reason it feels like it just doesn't have the same heart or energy to it. Yes the audio quality itself is a little better and I noticed the looping issues of the old music, but for whatever reason I think the original music still sounds far more appealing. The new stuff sounds too calm, or something.

Really, this is still Cave Story and I still love it, but this does leave me worried about the rest of Nicalis' projects. For the amount of time that it took this game to finally see the light of day, all of the parts of this download that aren't directly part of the original Cave Story experience that Mr. Amaya worked on feel incredibly unpolished. Even just the way the menu cycling looks, the packaging around the actual gameplay smacks of programmers that aren't quite sure what they're doing. I applaud Nicalis for striking up WiiWare deals with my two favorite indie devs with Pixel and Nifflas, but please please do those guys justice with your porting-work!
 

sammy

Member
what a gem of a game, i played for hours last night!

I like that the options between old and new music/graphics, but the widescreen looks outstanding on my crt. I usually keep my TV at 4:3 for VC games, it just looks better for classic stuff in progressive but CS does render more of the environment in Widescreen so no complaints here. My TV is adjusted for over-scan, so everything i need is there.

the game does feel great on the classic controller, but i'm a sucker for the Wii remote sideways NES style. plays great :D
 

zigg

Member
hatchx said:
Are you on a widescreen display?

Yes, but I put the TV to 4:3 for this game, since it appears to be running in that mode regardless of my Wii's setting. (see: the width of letters in the Home menu)
 

Princess Skittles

Prince's's 'Skittle's
sammy said:
I like that the options between old and new music/graphics, but the widescreen looks outstanding on my crt. I usually keep my TV at 4:3 for VC games, it just looks better for classic stuff in progressive but CS does render more of the environment in Widescreen so no complaints here. My TV is adjusted for over-scan, so everything i need is there.
The game is drawn and composed for 4x3. You're stretching the beautifully drawn artwork.

Nicalis did not recompose the game for widescreen display (which even the PSP homebrew port did, if I recall).

Apparently this was promised, but since I didn't actually follow its development, I can't say for sure.
 

sammy

Member
well if that's the case then, I'm game for 4:3 mode. I have my TV way adjusted, and when i hold a coaster up to the screen squares are still squares when the game is set to widescreen so i don't see much stretching but what isn't native isn't native for sure. I'll have to take pictures of these comparisons, but unlike MM10 and VC games CaveStory doesn't get all blurry in widescreen.
 

Princess Skittles

Prince's's 'Skittle's
sammy said:
well if that's the case then, I'm game for 4:3 mode. I have my TV way adjusted, and when i hold a coaster up to the screen squares are still squares when the game is set to widescreen so i don't see much stretching but what isn't native isn't native for sure. I'll have to take pictures of these comparisons, but unlike MM10 and VC games CaveStory doesn't get all blurry in widescreen.
If your Wii is set to 16x9, pay attention to the Home buttons while in the menu and then when in Cave Story, that's the big flag.

Also, as far as I know, the only VC games that should be blurry are TG16 (some CD games are crisp though).
 

Luigiv

Member
Princess Skittles said:
The game is drawn and composed for 4x3. You're stretching the beautifully drawn artwork.

Nicalis did not recompose the game for widescreen display (which even the PSP homebrew port did, if I recall).

Apparently this was promised, but since I didn't actually follow its development, I can't say for sure.
It's not that they didn't, it's actually that they couldn't. Wii's max resolution is 640x576 (640x480 in 60hz mode). That means 16:9 games either have to run anamorphic (640x480 with rectangular pixels) or shortscreen (640x360). Since the games native res is 640x480, they can't increase output res to match the wider view.

On the PSP the screens res is 480x272 and the games native res was left at 320x240, so they had the room to increase the view without distorting the image.
 
Gameplay Help Request:

I keep dying on the
two dragons
boss, and it's very annoying to restart since the nearest save point is five minutes away (a problem the game seems to avoid otherwise). I have plenty of upgrades, so I think it's mainly an issue of tactics. Any suggestions on which weapon to use, where to stand, etc.? I've tried a few different things but once
they both start to breathe fire continuously
I don't last long.
 
Top Bottom