chibirobo
Latest
Complain to Nintendo, get a phone call
Reader Neal is a man on a mission. When hearing that Chibi Robo: Park Patrol was a Wal-Mart exclusive, he got on his computer and fired off an email to Nintendo questioning Wal-Mart's commitment as a "green company" and Nintendo's press release stating as much. Well, Nintendo cared enough about his email that a Nintendo rep actually called him to discuss it.The Nintendo rep, one Ryan Stoffel, turned out to be a polite guy and very concerned with Neal's thoughts. While his promise to pass along Neal's concerns to the higher-ups can be seen as empty, the fact that Nintendo called him up directly to talk is just astounding to us. Even with some of you informing us of your own dealings with Nintendo customer service, we're surprised they went this far.
WRUP: Gee, we wonder what you're playing edition
Let's think of a release that most of you are probably knee-deep in? Tough one, right? Well, we're fairly confident that it's none other than ... The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night. Yup, out of the long list of games that released, we're absolutely certain that's the game you're playing. If we had to bet body parts on it, we would be rich in organs.So, tell us of your adventures with Spyro and how much fun you're having with it. Because, you are. That's what you're playing. We know it is.
Metareview: Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol
The Wal-Mart exclusive, environmentally conscious sequel to Chibi-Robo came out this week, and the reviews seem to be hovering around the low-to-mid 80's (with Eurogamer as an outlier). We find that sometimes we like the kind of games that inhabit that space, since it usually means they're solid and fun, but not too epic. It seems that the game has weathered the transition from adventurous chore simulator to park-building fairly well. If any of you out there have made the dangerous journey to Wal-Mart to pick this up, please let us know what you think!GameSpot -- 80%: "This delightful, bizarre adventure simplifies and builds on the gameplay of the GameCube original while making innovative use of the touch screen and presenting an often-hilarious story rife with colorful, insane characters." GameSpy -- 80%: "Chibi Robo: Park Patrol retains the fun and charm of its console predecessor even if the gameplay is noticeably different. It's a shame that it's being released on the same day as The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass as it will undoubtedly get overshadowed. That's too bad -- this tiny robot deserves better."Eurogamer -- 60%: "If you don't have the name of that significant series that Park Patrol resembles in your head right now then you've not been paying attention, but Harvest Moon springs easily to mind as a comparison. Its sow-reap-repeat dynamic, set against the pressures of a quickly diminishing day are easily mirrored here. And while Park Patrol lacks the extra-curricular entertainment of the best of those titles, it gets the core right."
Chibi-Robo: PR Stunt Patrol
Nintendo has announced another out-of-the-box promotional effort for Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol, this time focusing on the environmental theme. The game is about improving parks, and what improves outdoor areas more than a nice tree? To that end, Nintendo will send out 500 trees to a random selection of Chibi-Robo registrants who sign up between now and November 9th. The saplings will be mailed out just in time for America Recycles Day, which is apparently a real thing. We wonder if they're the same kind of trees that were pulped for the Chibi-Robo bookmarks.Cynics may wonder why, if Nintendo is so concerned about the environment, they're associating this game with ginormous Earth-killer Wal-Mart. Those of you with advanced degrees in cynicism may be thinking that these shows of environmentalism may be an effort to offset the association with Wal-Mart. Whatever the reason, seeing a big company like Nintendo do anything environmentally conscious at all is nice. Check the press release after the break for a little more information about Nintendo's green practices.
Chibi-Robo encourages reading, smelling
A GoNintendo reader received this Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol bookmark at school. It has a feature that the DS game can't possibly have: scents. We assume that scratching the adorable-faced flower things releases a delightful floral scent. This is the best scratch-and-sniff game item since the CyberSniff 2000 (which did actually add a smell component to the gameplay of Leisure Suit Larry 7). It's a little incongruous that Nintendo is putting such energy into promoting this game when they're putting considerably less into making it available. We're in the same predicament with the bookmark as we are with the game: since we're not in school, we can't get our hands on this, much like the lack of nearby Wal-Marts makes it more difficult to purchase the game.
Focus on Nintendo at PAX
Nintendo's list of playable Wii games at this year's Penny Arcade Expo may be somewhat lacking-- Fire Emblem and stuff that's already out-- but there's enough of interest on the DS to keep us occupied. We're very excited that the new Zelda game will be on display, as it's been getting some extremely positive reactions. We also look forward to some exposure to the exiled Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol, as well as the sequel to DK King of Swing. But for us, the real draw is Flash Focus. Because we're weird and we tend to go for the weird experiences! The first-party DS games playable at PAX include: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Brain Age 2 Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol DK Jungle Climber Flash Focus We're hoping the third-party DS games include the following: Contra 4 Contra 4 Contra 4 Contra 4 Barnyard Blast We'll be at PAX this weekend, doing our best to keep our social anxiety under control, having panic attacks, and maybe playing some games or something. [Via GoNintendo]
Chibi-Robo retail presence rolled back
The rumor that Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol was cancelled is totally false. Well, mostly totally false. Gamespot contacted a Nintendo rep in order to verify the rumor, and got a surprising response."Chibi Robo: Park Patrol will launch October 2. The game, which features an adorable miniature robot who wants to clean up the environment, will be available exclusively at Wal-Mart stores nationwide."We have to wonder why Nintendo has such little faith in one of their own first-party franchises that they're limiting its distribution so sharply. Sure, Wal-Mart is the second-largest game retailer in the US, but do you know who's bigger? All game retailers.
Chibi-Robo review brings a load of screens along
GAME Watch seems to have loved Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol. They enjoyed cleaning up the park and arranging it to their liking, saying that, in the end, they wished for a multiplayer mode because they wanted to be able to show off their work.We had a little trouble getting through the review for some reason, which is why we summarized their conclusion about the multiplayer, and didn't give you detailed information about their judgment. There's no problem looking at the screenshots, however, which are beautiful and copious. We really hope this game actually comes out here.
Chibi-Robo sequel delayed, possibly canceled for U.S.
Fans of the super-cute Gamecube adventure Chibi-Robo (both of you) have been waiting with bated breath for the DS sequel, Park Patrol, ever since it was first shown at E3 2006. But there's been a bit of confusion over when the game, which came out in Japan earlier this month, will actually be reaching our shores.As SiliconEra reports, the release date on the game's Nintendo.com page has been moved from Sept. 24 to Oct. 2. A one week delay isn't a big deal, but reports that pre-orders for the game are being canceled at Gamestop are more worrying. The game doesn't show up on searches on Gamestop's web site (unlike other October releases) and GameFly's listing of a TBD release date is similarly troubling. The official word from Nintendo's PR agency is that the game is still on track, so maybe we're just worrying over nothing. Either way, we'll keep you posted when we hear more.
Rumor: Chibi-Robo unplugged?
A NeoGAFfer called TurtleSnatcher got a call from his local GameStop asking him to transfer his Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol preorder payment to another game, because, according to "corporate," the US release had been cancelled. Terrible news if true, but a GAF post about a call from GameStop is about as far from a reliable source as one can get without just making up the news, and not too far away, in terms of concreteness, from making up the language used to report that made-up news.Siliconera contacted Golin Harris (who does Nintendo's PR) for confirmation of this rumor. They hadn't received any word of a cancellation. However, as Siliconera reports, "the game is missing from Nintendo.com, Gamestop and Best Buy's database. Also Gamefly changed the release date for Chibi Robo: Park Patrol to TBD instead of September 24."We doubt the game is being cancelled, since Nintendo released promotional materials during E3 just a few weeks ago. And why would Nintendo cancel a first-party DS game? That's just throwing money away.
Booze Training boxart (along with plenty of others) revealed
The NeoGAF forums have been flooded with a variety of boxarts for upcoming Japanese DS titles. Such titles include Chibi Robo Park Patrol, It's a Wonderful World and the above, EA's Bartender DS. Personally, we could use Bartender DS, as our mixed drinks are anything but, well ... drinkable. So, if boxart is your thing, be sure to hit up the NeoGAF thread.[Via Go Nintendo]
E307: Chibi Robo Park Patrol trailer
Like most of the other E3 trailers you've set your eyes upon today, this one for Chibi Robo Park Patrol ischock full of the kinds of things you like. Gameplay segments including exploration and combat, along with some flower watering segments and bicycle riding. All in all, the game is shaping up to be the usual type of Nintendo game on the DS: an excellent experience.Check out the trailer past the break.
A chibi trailer for Chibi Robo
This commercial for Chibi Robo: Park Patrol is really, really short. Fifteen seconds. It also shows no real game footage at all. But it's about Chibi Robo, which we really don't see or hear enough about. Also it's got some creepy flower things in it!It's mostly just great to see Nintendo putting some advertising yen into Chibi Robo. What are the odds that even fifteen scant seconds will be devoted to it on American television?
Chibi Robo Park Patrol site launches
The Japanese site for Chibi Robo Park Patrol has launched, chock full of goodies for the aspiring park patroller. There are character breakdowns, screens and indecipherable text. Well, not entirely indecipherable, but the machine translation at Google isn't the best, so relaying any of the translated information would just be an exercise in futility. So, if navigating Japanese websites is your thing, Nintendo has you covered.See also: Chibi Robo: Park Patrol screens
Chibi Robo: Park Patrol screens
Famitsu has posted a variety of different screens for the upcoming DS installment in the Chibi Robo franchise, Chibi Robo: Park Patrol. These screens show a lot of what you'd expect; a small robot rides a bike and meets some oddball characters. So, while there isn't much here in the way of new content, there is plenty of stuff those looking forward to the game can gawk at.'Chibi Robo: Park Patrol is currently slated for a September release in the United States.
MASSIVE clearance at Best Buy starts today
If you're near a Best Buy store, gather up your $2 bills and get going, because they're in the midst of an epic videogame clearance, and you'll want to get there before the unscrupulous speculator types grab all the stuff to sacrifice to the ravenous eBay. You've got to be wily to get to the goods before the FatWalleters and the CAGs!There aren't any Wii games on clearance, but there are plenty of Wii-compatible Gamecube games. We've got a list of all the Gamecube software on sale after the break. Don't expect to find all of it-- most of it has been out of stock for months or years at most stores, and the price changed to clear out remaining copies. But we hope you do find what you're looking for in abundance. And we hope we can make it to Best Buy soon enough to luck into our own copy of Chibi Robo.[Thanks, ali emamdjomeh!]
Check out Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol
If breakdancing refreshed dying flowers out in the real world, gardening would be a hell of a lot more fun. We can't wait to try it out in the upcoming Chibi-Robo!: Park Patrol, the DS sequel that pits our favorite tiny household robot against killer plants in the great outdoors. Since we have absolutely no idea when this game will hit shelves, we'll have to console ourselves with screenshots for now. Check 'em out after the jump!
Yet another 'games to watch' list
We can only guess that it wasn't enough for the DS to steamroll everything and everyone in 2006. Nintendo wants to own 2007, as well. Not that we're complaining; after all, we are total slaves to our beloved handheld. But it just seems altogether crazy that there could be so many lists predicting great games in the coming year, and that the lists could vary so much. No matter your pleasure, 2007 is bound to be packed with more DS games than you can possibly afford. And in celebration of our future indecision, IGN has offered a list celebrating ten of the best coming games for the year. We've included the full IGN list after the jump, and we'd love to hear how it compares to some of the other lists you've seen since the end of last year, because there's been a ton. We've even dipped a toe into the list-making process ourselves.
Best of the rest: Ross' picks
Lumines Live! (XBLA) On a big screen with surround sound, Q Entertainment's Lumines Live was easily the most-played game in my library (if you stretch the definition of library to digitally distributed titles). Although I railed against how microtransactions were implemented in this title and still think the extent to which they disclosed the dearth of features was misleading, both the Basic and Advanced Pack got more than enough play time, as did the multiplayer. It is the best Xbox Live Arcade title since Geometry Wars.
