Anyone else go to Club Cube 10/18? (1 Viewer)

[Paul__A]

Well I just got back from the Club Cube on Hollywood and Highland, and was able to get my hands on some games i've been dying to play. for those not familiar check out Link Removed
If anyone cares here's some of my thoughts on some of the content I came across: :b
Metroid Prime-They had one playable level (I'm told this was the e3 demo, but its still new to me). Tons of fun, my favorite game in building. With that one level I played the gameplay seems solid enough and the graphics are great. If I have any minor gripes about the demo its in the "scanning" function. You have to change into scanning mode and scan certain icons (and wait until it completes) in order to operate certain things like elevators or to de/activate sentry guns. Takes a lot longer than it should and could prove to be annoying if you have to use it in later levels as much as in this one.
Zelda-While Im still not crazy about the look of the game, it has everything you'd expect from a zelda game. Controls were similar enough to the N64 versions, and its really great to be able to pickup enemy weapons. Aside from the cell shading the game doesnt feel too different from the N64 ones, but that isnt a bad thing since those games IMO were great.
Jedi Knights 2: Jedi Outcast-I never played the PC version so I cant compare the two. The single player was solid, good graphics and controls, but I spent most of my playtime in the jedi duel mode. The lightsaber battles are a blast.
James Bond Nightfire-Kind of bleh if you ask me. Everything in it seemed same ol same ol, didnt really do anything exciting. I was looking forward to playing this title, but it wasnt my cup of tea.
Among the other games available for play were Tony Hawk 4, Medal of Honor, and Godzilla.
Well its late so I'm off to bed now. So did any other HTFers go?
--Paul

 

[Jeffrey Forner]

Paul;

Thanks for the heads up. My buddies and I will be heading to the Cube Club at the Mall of America this evening. I can't wait to try out these games! Expect a full report from me in the next day or two.

 

[Jeffrey Forner]

As promised, here is my full report on my experiences with the Nintendo Cube Club '02.
First of all, let me just say that the event was executed much better this year than last. Nintendo certainly took notes with regards to what worked and what didn't and improved the event considerably. Of prime importance, the facilities in which the event took place were much bigger this time. Last year they crammed the event into a small, unused space within the Mall of America. Not only did this limit the number of kiosks, but it also created a crowded atmosphere that was not as enjoyable as it could be. This year, they moved the event to a location just outside the mall in a big, heated tent. Not only was did this allow for more kiosks and games, but it made the whole experience much more pleasant. You didn't have to fight your way through heavy crowds to get from one game to the next.
Some of the freebies on hand were very nice as well. Visitors could pick up a DVD full of previews for upcoming GameCube games as well as free bottles of Snapple and copies of Maxim magazine. Towards the back, you could chill out in some recliners and couches while listening to some music on portable Panasonic mp3 players. They even had a chair on-hand that massaged your back while you relaxed. My friend Bob and I got plenty of use out of that piece of furniture. The one thing they didn't do this year was offer enclosed booths so that you could get a chance to hear the sound on some of these games. Overall though, it's a minor gripe that won't keep me from going back to this event should Nintendo decide to do it again next here. Hell, I may even go back for seconds this year!
At any rate, enough about that. I'm sure you all want to know about the games. I'll talk about the most important and impressive games I saw there and leave the lesser titles out. So, here we go.
Metroid Prime
Make no mistake, this is Nintendo's big game for the 2002 holiday season and they know it. Only one level was playable at the Club, but it was enough to whet my appetite for more. It also laid to rest any fears I had about Metroid moving into the first-person genre. No, it doesn't play exactly like the old-school Metroid games, but the game's atmosphere, the layout of the levels, and Samus' abilities did make it feel like a 3-D version of the series. You'll jump for joy the first time you roll her into the morph ball or charge up your blaster or open the missile launcher on your suit. This is the Metroid universe through the eyes of Samus, and you get to control her.
Speaking of which, the control may be the one thing some people don't like about the game, especially those used to first-person shooters on consoles like Halo or Perfect Dark. Nintendo has described this game as a first person adventure and it certainly feels like it. The thing that took me the longest to get used to was the fact that this game doesn't feature two control axes for movement. This means that you can only move Samus with the left control stick. The C-stick only changes Samus' weapon. You can strafe if you push down on the L button, but you can't strafe and turn at the same time. If you push L until it clicks, you'll go into a manual targeting mode sort of like in Goldeneye and Perfect Dark. The L button also comes into play when you target enemies or scan objects. By the way, the scanning function will become your best friend in this game. Almost everything you find can be scanned and scanning will help you solve puzzles of all kinds. It's a cool addition that adds a new layer of complexity to the series.
As I type this, the best looking game for the Game Cube (in my opinion) is Star Fox Adventures. Metroid Prime will easily best the outstanding visuals of that game. Simply put, this thing glimmers in beauty. The levels offer complex geometries and outstanding textures. On top of that, you get numerous atmospheric effects and lighting effects that give the game an eerie foreboding. Best of all, the framerate never hitched at all. This will be one of the best looking console games you can buy.
Sadly, I can't say much about the sound, but from the little that I did hear, I am very excited to play it on my Dolby Pro-Logic II capable system.
The Legend of Zelda
Despite the controversy surrounding Zelda's new look, I think people will shut up once they sit down and play this game. If you liked the N64 Zeldas, you'll like this one. The feel of the game is very reminiscent of those titles. The version at the Cube Club was the same as what was shown at E3 this year, and there were about 4 or 5 levels available to play. I only played two of them: One level had you working your way through a fiery dungeon. The other was a boss battle. The dungeon level showed some interesting new twists I hadn't seen in any of the other games in the series. Among them was the fact that your enemies left their weapons behind when the died. You could pick them up with the B button and then use them to get to the next room or even fight other baddies. Eventually, you work your way outside of the dungeon where you get to see some of Link's new abilities, like his ability to hug walls, crouch, and hang over a ledge while at the same time moving from left to right.
The boss battle was very interesting and showed off some more cool effects within the game. One thing I really liked was how the heat emanating from the lava within the room distorted objects throughout the room. It's one of those small details that really makes the game feel like an interactive cartoon and not just another cel-shaded title.
Oh, and you will all be happy to hear that this game ran perfectly smooth as well.
1080 Avalanche
As with Zelda, if you played this game on the N64, you'll feel right at home with this new version. The feel and control is very similar to the N64 game, with the exception of the trick system, which has been change considerably. To be honest, I didn't actually try and do any tricks. I just wanted to win the races. Perhaps if I go back, I can try and figure out how the tricks work and report on them. Until then, I'll stick with the racing aspect of the game.
The biggest difference between this game and the original is to be the courses themselves. Whereas the original courses were fairly barren except for tress, logs, houses, and other obstacles, the courses in 1080 Avalanche are much more populated. You'll not only run into other skiers, but you may also see some deer along the way. The environments are much more interactive this time out. I won't spoil the details here, but these courses are a lot trickier this time out. It should be a lot of fun to learn how to get past certain sections.
Graphically, I didn't think that this game was really all that impressive. The biggest problem was the lack of details in the characters or the environments. It reminded me of Wave Race: Blue Storm without the dazzling water effects. Perhaps they're still working on the graphics, but I doubt it at this point. That's not to say that it doesn't look good. The graphics are merely serviceable. They just doesn't stand up to Metroid or Zelda.
Mario Party 4
They had two stations for this game, both of which showed off Nintendo’s Wave Bird wireless controller. The demo versions on hand allowed four players to play the various mini-games until someone won three rounds, at which point the winner would receive a complementary Game Cube disc holder and four new people would be allowed rotated in to play. I sucked at this game big time. However, it wasn’t my fault. It was the controller. Yeah, that’s it the controller. I would have won, but I always got the warped one.
All right, I just sucked at it plain and simple, but I still had fun. I look forward to buying this game later this month so that I can play it with my friends while downing several adult beverages and getting completely trashed. Few games allow you to do that, and this is one of them.
The mini-games are of the same style as in past games. There are a few button mashers and some good grab-the-coins games. One such game had the four players parachuting down to an island while collecting coins and avoiding Koopa Para-Troopas. If you get hit too many times, your parachute bursts and you fall out of the game and can’t collect any more coins. There was also a swimming game that proved to be somewhat frustrating for those who didn’t know what they were doing (me), and a drag race game.
I suppose I could talk about some more games, but I fear I’ve rambled on for too long already, and my fingers are tired from typing so much in one night. So, I’ll leave it at that for now. If anyone has any questions about a game I didn’t talk about here, I’ll be happy to answer them, provided I actually played it. (I actually didn’t play all the games on hand. That’s the sad reality of wanting to play Metroid and Zelda so much.)
At any rate, if the Cube Club is in your town or will be coming to your town in the coming months, and you are big Nintendo fan, go to this. You will have a blast.

 

[Steven_V]

Thanks for the great impressions. Less than a month to go for Metroid Prime!
For those wondering if a Cube Club will be in your area, check out Nintendo's Link Removed. That promotional DVD given out at the clubs will also be showing up soon at most stores that sell videogames (EB, Target, BestBuy, ToysR'Us etc.). So for those who can't make it to a Cube Club be on the lookout for them.

 

[Jason Price]

I think I'm going to have to head down to the MOA next weekend and check this out...