Pawapoke 10 Impressions Thread
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Re: Pawapoke 10 Impressions Thread
[ Author: tsm_ice9 | Posted: Dec 8, 2007 7:37 AM
]
Hi BigManZam-- thanks for posting this!
I've already got the game ordered from play-asia and it shipped out the other day, too bad I didn't get to read this before ordering, otherwise I woulda thought about it some more.
I've been playing powerpro for a good long while and can read some Japanese (and may need to brush up on that soon anyway...) so I guess I'll find some entertainment out of it, but I was really hoping in particular to have some fun with WiFi, which it sounds like ended up not being so good.
I was debating between Pro Yakyuu Famista DS or this, but being a powerpro fan, and since this one looks more polished, I went with it.
I was going to think about challenging you to a match when I get it in, so I'll post my friend code anyway.
How does the WiFi compare to Koshien DS? I actually thought about picking that up last time I was in Japan since it was relatively inexpensive as a "Konami Best" re-release, but I decided to pass, and wait for the next PawaPoke to come out. Actually if the WiFi is any better (do you know?) I might spring for Famista after the holiday season or in a few months if I make it to Japan... Or if people are still playing Koshien...
By the way, this is a little off topic, but for WiFi play I think Ultimate Mortal Kombat on DS was a nice release (I grew up with Mortal Kombat 1-3). I haven't played it much, being really busy with school, but it's break time, so I'll get to take another crack at it!
I'd love to see more good quality WiFi-enabled stuff in the near future.. I was completely looking forward to doing powerpro online.
By the way do you think the fact that you're in North America contributes to the lag any? I don't think it should, but it is at least feasible....
I've already got the game ordered from play-asia and it shipped out the other day, too bad I didn't get to read this before ordering, otherwise I woulda thought about it some more.
I've been playing powerpro for a good long while and can read some Japanese (and may need to brush up on that soon anyway...) so I guess I'll find some entertainment out of it, but I was really hoping in particular to have some fun with WiFi, which it sounds like ended up not being so good.
I was debating between Pro Yakyuu Famista DS or this, but being a powerpro fan, and since this one looks more polished, I went with it.
I was going to think about challenging you to a match when I get it in, so I'll post my friend code anyway.
How does the WiFi compare to Koshien DS? I actually thought about picking that up last time I was in Japan since it was relatively inexpensive as a "Konami Best" re-release, but I decided to pass, and wait for the next PawaPoke to come out. Actually if the WiFi is any better (do you know?) I might spring for Famista after the holiday season or in a few months if I make it to Japan... Or if people are still playing Koshien...
By the way, this is a little off topic, but for WiFi play I think Ultimate Mortal Kombat on DS was a nice release (I grew up with Mortal Kombat 1-3). I haven't played it much, being really busy with school, but it's break time, so I'll get to take another crack at it!
I'd love to see more good quality WiFi-enabled stuff in the near future.. I was completely looking forward to doing powerpro online.
By the way do you think the fact that you're in North America contributes to the lag any? I don't think it should, but it is at least feasible....
Re: Pawapoke 10 Impressions Thread
[ Author: BigManZam | Posted: Dec 8, 2007 9:05 AM
| CLM Fan
]
What's up? Good to see a new registered user making contributions.
You know, now that I've simmered down a bit from the initial WiFi issues, I can see the good in the game. You can't compare it to a normal console game. For a DS game, it's great for NPB fans. I don't have a PSP, so I can't comment on whether PawaPota is better. I can, however, say that the DS has an advantage over the PSP when it comes to the handheld market, and that's with Stand By Mode. That's the mode your DS goes into when you still have the game on but close the DS unit. The DS can stay powered for like over a week in this mode. This is PERFECT for Pawapuro, because you can advance in Success whenever you want and play on the toilet! I also think it's a great game for baseball fans who find themselves on long commutes fairly often. It really is a solid title for a handheld convenient baseball game. There's only so much you can do with the DS hardware and a weak WiFi connection.
I don't know what Famista DS is like, but I've played the PC version, which is pretty much identical. I never played that series much, so I didn't like it too much. Fielding was really slow and I gave up way too many hits. It didn't impress me. I have no idea what the DS WiFi on it is like, but it was lag free for me on the PC. A wired connection is 1000 times better than WiFi, though.
I'm not fully ready to compare this to DS Koshien just yet, since I've only played two games on WiFi. DS Koshien never gave me lag problems when playing against Japanese players, though. I had a few players cut their connections, but I never had issues that made actual gameplay uncomfortable.
If you like Famista, I suggest you also pick up Famista DS. I don't think you should get DS Koshien just because I don't think anyone plays it anymore, power hitting is impossible, and lots of people had super teams that just couldn't be beaten. If you can get it for less than 20 bucks, I'd go for it.
I think being in the states could be an issue. My internet has been kind of bad lately, though I played COD4 with no problems just prior to playing Pawapoke 10. I've only seen like 5 posts out of 2000 from Japanese people complaining about WiFi lag, so I don't think it's a problem over there.
You know, now that I've simmered down a bit from the initial WiFi issues, I can see the good in the game. You can't compare it to a normal console game. For a DS game, it's great for NPB fans. I don't have a PSP, so I can't comment on whether PawaPota is better. I can, however, say that the DS has an advantage over the PSP when it comes to the handheld market, and that's with Stand By Mode. That's the mode your DS goes into when you still have the game on but close the DS unit. The DS can stay powered for like over a week in this mode. This is PERFECT for Pawapuro, because you can advance in Success whenever you want and play on the toilet! I also think it's a great game for baseball fans who find themselves on long commutes fairly often. It really is a solid title for a handheld convenient baseball game. There's only so much you can do with the DS hardware and a weak WiFi connection.
I don't know what Famista DS is like, but I've played the PC version, which is pretty much identical. I never played that series much, so I didn't like it too much. Fielding was really slow and I gave up way too many hits. It didn't impress me. I have no idea what the DS WiFi on it is like, but it was lag free for me on the PC. A wired connection is 1000 times better than WiFi, though.
I'm not fully ready to compare this to DS Koshien just yet, since I've only played two games on WiFi. DS Koshien never gave me lag problems when playing against Japanese players, though. I had a few players cut their connections, but I never had issues that made actual gameplay uncomfortable.
If you like Famista, I suggest you also pick up Famista DS. I don't think you should get DS Koshien just because I don't think anyone plays it anymore, power hitting is impossible, and lots of people had super teams that just couldn't be beaten. If you can get it for less than 20 bucks, I'd go for it.
I think being in the states could be an issue. My internet has been kind of bad lately, though I played COD4 with no problems just prior to playing Pawapoke 10. I've only seen like 5 posts out of 2000 from Japanese people complaining about WiFi lag, so I don't think it's a problem over there.
Re: Pawapoke 10 Impressions Thread
[ Author: tsm_ice9 | Posted: Dec 8, 2007 9:57 AM
]
Awesome, thanks for the response! I'll let you know what I think when I get it, and I'll post my friend code and we'll have to get some WiFi going. I have a buddy who doesn't know any Japanese but got into PowerPro with me back in the days of PowerPro 10, I might have to convince him to get a DS so he can play this with me too.
I'm sitting on the fence about whether or not I like Famista, I actually do have Famista Advance. I kind of like that it's "arcade style" baseball (when I was a little rascal, Baseball Stars and Super Baseball 2020 were big fun), since cursor-based hitting is a little difficult with a D-pad. On the other hand, as you said, the fielding is slow and clunky as hell and takes a lot of getting used to.
I am hoping to move to Japan in the near future (not sure yet if it's going to happen, but we'll find out in due time) in which case I'll have the chance to follow NPB a little better, which means I will probably hang out on this site a bit more too! Would be going to Sendai so I'd plan on going to lots of Eagles games! I visited in August and went to a couple of games, which was really nice.
I would also like to get in on an amateur league for fun on weekends if I can (did a search online and I saw that there is a pretty good sized sunday morning league with in Sendai with multiple competition levels). Where I'm located now, the only existing league is 28-up (I'm 22) and spans too wide of an area since there are only smaller cities within an hour drive radius.
I wish the Japanese amateurs would use hardball, I feel like those nankyuu's (at least the ones my Japanese baseball buddies here use) are a little too light weight, but at the end of the day baseball is baseball, and I never wound up playing in HS (partly due to politics I think) so I'd like to give it another shot.
I'm sitting on the fence about whether or not I like Famista, I actually do have Famista Advance. I kind of like that it's "arcade style" baseball (when I was a little rascal, Baseball Stars and Super Baseball 2020 were big fun), since cursor-based hitting is a little difficult with a D-pad. On the other hand, as you said, the fielding is slow and clunky as hell and takes a lot of getting used to.
I am hoping to move to Japan in the near future (not sure yet if it's going to happen, but we'll find out in due time) in which case I'll have the chance to follow NPB a little better, which means I will probably hang out on this site a bit more too! Would be going to Sendai so I'd plan on going to lots of Eagles games! I visited in August and went to a couple of games, which was really nice.
I would also like to get in on an amateur league for fun on weekends if I can (did a search online and I saw that there is a pretty good sized sunday morning league with in Sendai with multiple competition levels). Where I'm located now, the only existing league is 28-up (I'm 22) and spans too wide of an area since there are only smaller cities within an hour drive radius.
I wish the Japanese amateurs would use hardball, I feel like those nankyuu's (at least the ones my Japanese baseball buddies here use) are a little too light weight, but at the end of the day baseball is baseball, and I never wound up playing in HS (partly due to politics I think) so I'd like to give it another shot.
Re: Pawapoke 10 Impressions Thread
[ Author: NiGHTS | Posted: Dec 10, 2007 7:18 AM
| TYS Fan
]
PSP has the stand by functionality as well. You just push the power button up once quickly and it will go into standby. However, since the PSP eats Batteries like popcorn, it will not last a week.
When I have the chance to order this game, I'll let you know my thoughts compared to the PSP games.
BMZ, is this the game that you've been waiting for so long for? A fun pawapuro game? Please tell me it reminds you off 11 keitiban.
When I have the chance to order this game, I'll let you know my thoughts compared to the PSP games.
BMZ, is this the game that you've been waiting for so long for? A fun pawapuro game? Please tell me it reminds you off 11 keitiban.
Re: Pawapoke 10 Impressions Thread
[ Author: BigManZam | Posted: Dec 10, 2007 8:58 AM
| CLM Fan
]
I had high hopes for this. I wouldn't necessarily say I waited for it, because I've been burned by Konami a lot lately. What I'm really waiting for is a PS3 yakyu game with 60 FPS gameplay and online play with no lag. That's what I want. MLB The Show was 60 FPS, but the online just never worked for me.
I'd say this game is closer to Pawapuro 99 and Pawapuro 6 than anything on the PS2. It feels more like Pawapuro 10 and 11 than 13 and 14, if that's what you wanna know. My only gripe with the actual gameplay is that the DS Lite pad is so clunky for cursor batting.
I'd say this game is closer to Pawapuro 99 and Pawapuro 6 than anything on the PS2. It feels more like Pawapuro 10 and 11 than 13 and 14, if that's what you wanna know. My only gripe with the actual gameplay is that the DS Lite pad is so clunky for cursor batting.
Re: Pawapoke 10 Impressions Thread
[ Author: BigManZam | Posted: Dec 9, 2007 6:49 PM
| CLM Fan
]
Sorry for the delay. Just totally forgot about translating. First, more impressions.
-Now that I've played a couple more games, I think it's safe to say that gameplay is very similar to old school PS1 and N64 Pawapuro. There are additions like a couple defensive diving animations, but it overall feels like an old school Pawapuro title. To have that gameplay in a handheld package is really nice.
-Success Mode is seriously impossible. I fully understand what the Japanese fan was saying when he said it's masochistic. It's almost like whoever made it just HATES the fans. Normal Success will have you randomly losing tons of energy, condition, and yakyu spirit. When your spirit goes down to 0, it's game over. Don't be surprised to see yourself regularly at the worst possible condition. The RPG Success Mode is fun, except it totally jerked me around. I was beating enemies and discovering the dungeon. No enemies gave more than 30 damage points. I face a couple robots and they hit me with a couple 20 damage attacks. No problem. I can easily take them. Then one just hits me with a laser that gives me 250 damage out of nowhere and I die. Game over. I was so pissed. It wasn't even challenging difficulty. It was CHEAP. That's pretty much my one word explanation of Success Mode in this game.
-Played another WiFi game and I had the same issues as before, so I think it's consistently laggy for me.
For now I'll just do options before Exhibition games against the CPU. I'll be going all the way down the left column and then all the way down the right column.
DH - No, Yes
Errors - Yes, No
Innings
Extra Innings - 12, 15, None
Called - Up to 10 runs
Difficulty - Normal, Hard, Powerful, Hell(!!!), Weak
Ball Physics - Normal, Banzai(rabbit ball)
Wind - Yes, No
Batting - Manual, Auto
Pitching - Manual, Auto
Meet Cursor - Manual, Lock On
Fly Ball Cursor - On, Ring, Off
Managing - Manual, Auto
Defense - Semi-Auto, Auto, Manual
Base running - Semi-Auto, Auto, Manual
Defensive Assistance(manga-style display) - On, Off
-Now that I've played a couple more games, I think it's safe to say that gameplay is very similar to old school PS1 and N64 Pawapuro. There are additions like a couple defensive diving animations, but it overall feels like an old school Pawapuro title. To have that gameplay in a handheld package is really nice.
-Success Mode is seriously impossible. I fully understand what the Japanese fan was saying when he said it's masochistic. It's almost like whoever made it just HATES the fans. Normal Success will have you randomly losing tons of energy, condition, and yakyu spirit. When your spirit goes down to 0, it's game over. Don't be surprised to see yourself regularly at the worst possible condition. The RPG Success Mode is fun, except it totally jerked me around. I was beating enemies and discovering the dungeon. No enemies gave more than 30 damage points. I face a couple robots and they hit me with a couple 20 damage attacks. No problem. I can easily take them. Then one just hits me with a laser that gives me 250 damage out of nowhere and I die. Game over. I was so pissed. It wasn't even challenging difficulty. It was CHEAP. That's pretty much my one word explanation of Success Mode in this game.
-Played another WiFi game and I had the same issues as before, so I think it's consistently laggy for me.
For now I'll just do options before Exhibition games against the CPU. I'll be going all the way down the left column and then all the way down the right column.
DH - No, Yes
Errors - Yes, No
Innings
Extra Innings - 12, 15, None
Called - Up to 10 runs
Difficulty - Normal, Hard, Powerful, Hell(!!!), Weak
Ball Physics - Normal, Banzai(rabbit ball)
Wind - Yes, No
Batting - Manual, Auto
Pitching - Manual, Auto
Meet Cursor - Manual, Lock On
Fly Ball Cursor - On, Ring, Off
Managing - Manual, Auto
Defense - Semi-Auto, Auto, Manual
Base running - Semi-Auto, Auto, Manual
Defensive Assistance(manga-style display) - On, Off
Re: Pawapoke 10 Impressions Thread
[ Author: tsm_ice9 | Posted: Dec 31, 2007 9:33 AM
]
Hey BigManZam, I finally got my copy in.
Took forever! I was really hoping it'd show up before last week because I took off for my mom's house for a week and a couple days. Finally got back today and found it in the mailbox.
My friend code is 2492 2944 9450 if you wanna play!
Took forever! I was really hoping it'd show up before last week because I took off for my mom's house for a week and a couple days. Finally got back today and found it in the mailbox.
My friend code is 2492 2944 9450 if you wanna play!
Re: Pawapoke 10 Impressions Thread
[ Author: Guest: jman | Posted: Jan 3, 2008 12:30 PM
]
Finally got my copy from Play-Asia, messed around a bit. Took me a while to finally get online and get my friend code, but I figured it out.
J-Man 2921 7957 3444
Right now I'm using whatever Japanese resources I can find to figure out some of the more basic designations, like which pitches a pitcher has, a player's position, as well as trying to navigate around the menus. I'll check out the actual baseball game in a bit.
Some translations would be helpful, but eh, I'll figure it out on my own if need be.
J-Man 2921 7957 3444
Right now I'm using whatever Japanese resources I can find to figure out some of the more basic designations, like which pitches a pitcher has, a player's position, as well as trying to navigate around the menus. I'll check out the actual baseball game in a bit.
Some translations would be helpful, but eh, I'll figure it out on my own if need be.
Re: Pawapoke 10 Impressions Thread
[ Author: Guest: jman | Posted: Jan 3, 2008 5:32 PM
]
Just played a couple exhibition games. Some experimentation + Google gave me what each pitch is, and from there it was smooth sailing.
My one deficiency so far is that I haven't really figured out how base running works exactly. I'll have to play some more.
But besides that, 2 things: 1) This baseball engine is MUCH better than Power Pros', and I loved Power Pros. 2) The second screen showing an overhead view of the diamond is waaaaaaaaaaaay more helpful than I thought it would be.
In short, I love this game so far. Can't wait for some online fun
My one deficiency so far is that I haven't really figured out how base running works exactly. I'll have to play some more.
But besides that, 2 things: 1) This baseball engine is MUCH better than Power Pros', and I loved Power Pros. 2) The second screen showing an overhead view of the diamond is waaaaaaaaaaaay more helpful than I thought it would be.
In short, I love this game so far. Can't wait for some online fun
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-Graphics are nice for a DS baseball game. It feels like a mixture of N64 and PS1. Think of the kind of 3D in Mario Kart DS and you have this game.
-Batting is far from easy, especially with the DS Lite control pad. It still feels distinctly Pawapoke. You'll fly out more than you're used to. Don't worry about hitting too many homers. You'll have to earn them, it seems.
-I love the new pause menu. Not only do you get direct access to the new baseball dictionary, but it will also list the special abilities the current pitcher and batter have with detailed explanations of what they do. There's also a nice picture guided explanation of how to pitch, play defense, make defensive shifts, check runners, bat, bunt, steal bases, and run bases. Like I said before, it's like a very detailed instruction booklet within the actual game.
-Defenders seem a lot slower than usual. It's probably a more accurate representation of how much ground an outfielder has to cover.
-Not only can you use the touch screen to advance runners, but you can also tap a button on there to give your runners a boost of speed.
-You can use the Y button now to reset your bat cursor to the middle.
-There's an option to have the screen show "FIRST!" or "LEFT!" in a big manga style presentation when the computer hits the ball. Most likely there to help young kids who aren't used to defending in Pawapuro.
-CPU pitcher will throw balls even on Powerful difficulty. He'll also walk you.
-During a pause, the batter will look back at the ump. This same animation is used on close strikes, but the player's eyes will bug out.
-There are 7 Arrange team slots. 6 are used for normal Arrange teams, but the 7th is for WiFi matches only. You can only play WiFi with that team. They block the ability to put players from other NPB teams on this 7th WiFi team.
-You can have up to 6 friends in your friend list, so that's perfect for this board. You can also choose which name you wish to go by(5 characters max) and what Pawapoke avatar you wish to represent you. My name is Big Man in katakana with a clown face.
-Wifi matches with Japanese strangers could be bad. I had some terrible lag in my 3 inning experimental game. There was only lag in one place, but it was the worst place possible...right before the pitch crosses the plate. I could barely get a hit and my pitches didn't locate because it would lag as I try to place my pitches. Finally the opponest decided to cut off his WiFi connection or something...BUT IT DIDN'T COUNT AS A LOSS FOR HIM! It just left me with no record. I just played a second game while writing this and the lag was just as bad. It cut out again and left me without a win. It was pretty much unplayable. It actually reminded me of PYS4 a lot when I loaded it up. You have to wonder if Konami is reusing their multiplayer code.
My final analysis is that unless they fix the WiFi, this game isn't worth the purchase for 95% of people reading this. Success requires Japanese reading skills, the actual gameplay isn't that much better than DS Koshien, and WiFi seems like it's broken(at least to people overseas). I give it a rating of 6.5 out of 10 just based on the actual baseball alone. It can potentially go up a point with playable WiFi, but I'd advise people to pass on this for now. I'll probably mess around with Success a bit this weekend, but I'll mostly be playing Call of Duty 4 multiplayer. Now THAT is a game with very smooth multiplayer.
My friend code is 2191 6170 2363, for anyone who wants to try out domestic WiFi matches.