Man, it must feel like I'm just trying to pick fights this week. Allow me to explain myself: I love n+. It's incredibly fun, elegant, and well-made. JC gave the game a 9.5 / 10, and I'd say that's a pretty fair score. So how on earth does a good game get picked for Bury the Shovelware?
Throughout the duration of this column, we've learned a lot about shovelware. We've examined the sharing of blame between the publisher and developer, the curse of a license, the effects of critics' perception, and much more. Our top priority has been determining common attributes. One might ask what is the single, definitive trait common throughout all shovelware. The easy answer would be "it sucks." But to who? You? Me? Everyone? If you were to wander through the graveyard of the DS's library, even the loneliest tombstone will have a sympathizer or two. Particularly for younger gamers who might not know any better, cognizance is everything.
Thus, we must focus on the objective. As the swipe for this series states, "shovelware refers to any game in which time and effort were eschewed in favor of turning a quick profit." Theoretically, any game which shows compromise in any area for the benefit of time and/or money might be considered shovelware. Even if the game is a critical success, one can still identify flaws in its design. Without labeling n+ as shovelware, let's examine how its existence relates to the bottom-feeders of the DS.
Metanet's N is a game in which the player is tasked with running very quickly through obstacles and jumping with high levels of precision in order to reach the exit door. It takes place in small, self-contained levels, uses simple, clean graphics, and has no real story to remember.
Though it first appeared as a freeware PC game and was then remade and enhanced as an Xbox Live Arcade game, there is no denying that N is an ideal handheld game. You really couldn't come up with a better design for an on-the-go game.
N+ from Atari is basically N, on the DS, with new levels. So, naturally, it works out pretty well.
You want a game? We got your game right here, from titles that were already supposed to be out, to those featuring teeny, tiny ninja dudes. And ... what's this? It seems we barely heard a whisper of From the Abyss, both for its Japanese release and subsequent localization, and now here it is. That can't bode well for the ARPG, but we'll be keeping a few fingers crossed, just in case.
Commando: Steel Disaster
Digimon World Championship
Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli
From the Abyss
Garfield's Fun Fest
Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness
My Chinese Coach
MLB Power Pros 2008
N+
PictoImage
The Sims 2: Apartment Pets
Head past the break for the other major market releases for the week.
For once, U.S. gamers have a reason to lord over their counterparts in the rest of the world. Why? The other major markets are seeing either token releases, as in Europe, or none, as in Australia and Japan, while we here in the States are blessed with a bevy of games. Not just any games, either, not with Bangai-O Spirits leading the pack.
Posted Aug 7th 2008 11:27AM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News
We've got good news and bad news regarding N+, Atari's handheld update of the freeware platformer N. The bad news isn't all that bad and the good news is awesome.
First, the kinda bad: N+ appears to have been delayed again, from August 12 to August 26. While it troubles us to think that the game is just never going to come out, we're glad it's at least not coming out on the same day as Bangai-O Spirits. The good news is that N+ will now launch at $20, which is an insanely good deal for a new, polished N with hundreds of new levels and a stylus-based level editor.
There's a third bit of news too, which didn't really fit in the "good news/bad news" thing we were trying to do, though it falls into the "good" category: Amazon orders will include a download link for a digital strategy guide.
In the spirit of N+ featuring hundreds of levels, we've received hundreds (well, lots anyway) of screenshots and two new gameplay videos (head past the break for the second). If there is a limit to how long we can watch a little stick figure bouncing off walls and performing gravity-defying stunts, we haven't yet reached the critical threshold.
You can start learning about the mind-bending N+ experience with our hands-on preview, effectively taking "the best platforming engine in Flash, ever," for a ride. The thing is, no matter how many screens and videos you ogle, there's plenty more brand new levels being created constantly. Best of all, the DS version is just as full-featured as any other installment, including a full level creator and Wi-Fi multiplayer. N+ should be a sure-fire hit when it's released in August.
My eyes glazed as I stared at my Nintendo DS Lite which cased the finished build of N+. N, my titular ninja avatar, braced his body as he slid halfway down a wall before springing away, using his momentum to snatch three gold coins dangling in midair. I firmly pressed d-pad left, causing him to again shimmy down the wall slowly, carefully, before again leaping for a nearby ledge. Unfortunately, my momentum wasn't enough in this instance. Though little more than a plump stick figure, I had a vision of poor N desperately straining for the tip of the ledge that was at least (at least) a good six feet away before plummeting, plummeting, plummeting -- and eventually exploding in a shower of square-shaped shards as he cratered into the ground.
I grumbled, but the fault was wholly mine, not the acrobatic N's.
"You've got what the indie scene will call the best platforming engine in Flash, ever," said David Geudelekian, producer of Metanet Software'sN+. "What N did really well was it presented this incredible platformer with 1000 levels, it was crazy difficult. N the ninja was this lithe, acrobatic guy with all the things developers had learned from other platformers. You can wall jump, you can press along the wall as you're falling to slow your descent. Because it's a full-featured physics engine, momentum can kill you, but if you use a ramp's natural curvature, you might be able to catapult yourself across the level."
In the spirit of a true ninja master, the perenially popular platformer N+ is still on its merry way to the DS. Many people out there have tried several adventures of the anonymous little hero on the PC, and are better gamers for it. Put it this way -- N+ levels are really, super easy to make, so the DS version features plenty of original creations.
You can check out some of the high-flying gameplay in the new trailer above, along with two more after the break. N+ hasn't been dumbed-down for portable installments at all, and includes a full level editor and downloadable content. If you haven't tried N+ before, it would be in your best interest to slide down to your nearest store on August 28 and hand over the cash for this bad boy. Ninja-style.
This may be a first: Metanet, creators of the original N, the 360 N+, and the levels for the DS N+, have set up an Etsy shop to sell handmade N+ merchandise. Is it possible for these people to be any cooler? We don't think so, unless they send us some free stuff.
For surprisingly reasonable prices, you can buy ninja t-shirts, really cool-looking stationery sets, and a vinyl cuff (like a big fat bracelet) with an N+ screenshot on it. All of it is very limited-edition (because, like the game, just a few people worked on it), and happens to be very attractive due to the N+ aesthetic. We're putting serious consideration into a set of cards, but we rarely have call for ninja-mail.
We won't be too harsh on IGN for billing this video of N+ gameplay as the "first N+ DS footage." We'll just casually point over in the direction of, ahem, last month. Nonetheless, N+ video is always welcome. This short clip of a bizarre new level is no exception.
This level's devious design centers around a large open area full of gold that is also guarded, panopticon-style, by a sentry, with a set of switches that forces the player to run back and forth across the area multiple times. You could choose to jump up and grab some of the copious gold, but it may slow you down, and that expanse has nowhere to hide from the targeted lasers.
If that's not enough N-Plussery, IGN also has an interview up with Metanet that discusses the DS version briefly.
First, watch this awesome video. It's an awesome video, right? A YouTube user 007craft remade The Legend of Zelda, from the first screen through the first dungeon, in the Xbox Live Arcade version of N+. It's wonderfully bizarre to see the screens so faithfully rendered in a completely different gameplay style. Simple things like reaching doors at the top of the screen become acrobatic struggles.
Have you ever used one game to recreate another game or its elements? Maybe you've edited all of the textures in your Animal Crossing town, Drawn Mario to Life, or composed some game music in Mario Paint. When you get access to an in-game editor, is making references to other games the first thing you do?
Metanet Software officially consists of two people: Mare Sheppard and Raigan Burns. Together they created the original PC game N, and contributed all of the levels (save the contest-winning user levels) to the DS, PSP, and (self-developed) XBLA versions of N+.
Now these two people are in the unique position of seeing their game evolve simultaneously down three different paths (well, almost three, since the DS and PSP games were developed by the same team) on three different consoles. We sent in some questions about this experience, as well as some details about the DS game and its level design -- and they were kind enough to answer those questions! Producer David Geudelekian stepped in in a few cases to answer some questions that went outside Metanet's knowledge (specifics about DS features, for example).
Siliconera posted a fascinating interview with Mare Sheppard and Raigan Burns of Metanet, as well as N+'s producer at Atari, David Geudelekian. Some new information was revealed -- specifically, that the DS version contains 8 save slots for stages. The point was made, however, that the level server can also be used as storage. It's simply a matter of, in Wii Virtual Console terms, cleaning out the refrigerator.
They also addressed something that comes up a lot in our coverage of the game: the fact that it costs money. Many people are of the opinion that because the original game was free, it's ridiculous to pay money for the new one. We would agree if not for the fact that N was fantastic and would have been worth whatever Metanet decided to charge. In their own words:
"...the question itself contains the unspoken assumption that a player who enjoyed N is going to be less interested in purchasing N+ than someone who's never played the game. Even if N+ was identical to N but featured a new set of levels, I think anyone who's addicted to N would be interested in having those new levels in a portable format. Beyond the hundreds of new levels, we think enough new bits have been added - most importantly the multiplayer modes - to justify the "+" sign."
Atari knows how much we love N+, so they sent us some brand-new gameplay footage. We have played the game (though in a much earlier stage) and we still found ourselves arrested by the unexpected beauty of the footage. YouTube isn't the best medium to get the crispness of the video across, but the 60-frames-per-second animation is still there, as is the quick, precise movement of the ninja character. The music is also catchy and retro-techno-awesome.
In addition to the new video, we've updated the gallery with 15 screenshots, each showing off a different level. The levels are crazily varied, showing the strength of the editor (and of Metanet's imaginations).
Posted Feb 13th 2008 9:45AM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News
In their latest IGN blog entry, N creators Metanet listed a bunch of recommended freeware and shareware games. Some of the picks are pointed out as having helped inspire the N game design. The first, Zone Runner, is described as " You run, jump, and collect gold. And die. A lot. Sound familiar?" Other games mentioned specifically as inspiring include Puchiwara no Bouken (which looks like the missing link between Lode Runner and N) and Super Bubble Blob.
Since we claim total ignorance of PC freeware games that are not N or Cave Story, we now have some homework ahead of us! As do you. We normally aren't in the position to link to a bunch of freeware PC games, but this time there's evidence of a direct influence on an upcoming (highly anticipated) DS game.
Metanet's N is a game in which the player is tasked with running very quickly through obstacles and jumping with high levels of precision in order to reach the exit door. It takes place in small, self-contained levels, uses simple, clean graphics, and has no real story to remember.
You want a game? We got your game right here, from titles that were 
For once, U.S. gamers have a reason to lord over their counterparts in the rest of the world. Why? The other major markets are seeing either token releases, as in Europe, or none, as in Australia and Japan, while we here in the States are blessed with a bevy of games. Not just any games, either, not with 
Metanet Software officially consists of two people: Mare Sheppard and Raigan Burns. Together they created the original PC game 
Siliconera posted a fascinating interview with Mare Sheppard and Raigan Burns of Metanet, as well as 
