USA VC Releases: Star Parodier and Break In

finally. although only star parodier is worth it of these two.

Okay hey at least Hudson's website was correct this time:) Ok so I am gonna guess that Mega Man and SS2 will show up next monday followed by Y's and Neo Turf Masters to round out the month. Maye I should do a press release

Hopefully Mega Man comes out next week.

Well this inspires hope at least.

Well this is a relief. At least one game isn't crap.
I'll be downloading Star parodier ASAP. I love the Star soldier series and a this goofy version looks and sounds awesome! Finally a reason to have Wii points.

How hard is Star Parodier? I'm not good at shooters at all.

I hear it's easier than the standard Star soldier games. More relaxing and not quite as difficult. Anyone know how many stages are in this one?

You know what's strange. Both of these games are listed on Hudson's website with today as a release date. The Strong bad game had a press release with today as a release date. The strange thing is they all were released today.I did not think it was possible after last weeks mess.

WOAH! I can't wait to get home toni... Waitaminute... Is that another shmup? Oh well. Another bland and uninteresting week for me. Only 2 weeks left to August, so Tony's prediction seem rather fair.

Hey look, more crap I don't want!

[sarcasm] MORE SHOOTERS PLEASE!!!!!!! [sarcasm]

Earthbound, earthbound, wherefore art thou earthbound,

Tis the east, and nintendo don't care about no stinkin' west, or there desire to have earthbound.

you didn't really expect earthbound to be released today did you?

I didn't expect Hudson's vc site being correct.

This weeks vc releases are not crap to me. I have been waiting for Star Parodier to be release in North America for a while.

Give up on looking forward to Earthbound already. Move on. I did long ago.I seriously doubt that it'll be released in our lifetimes... or our children's lifetimes.

If Nintendo ever wants to make its old-school fans happy (which is their lowest priority - they prefer the dumb and inexperienced ones far more), they'll make Earthbound's release as unnecessarily epic as possible; Earthbound-themed parades in major cities, round-the-clock webcast updates during its preparation for release, etc.

Earthbound > these games.

Anyway, I've never been a big fan of SHUMPS, or any shooting game with ships so I may skip out. And SBCG4AP cost less on a computer so I'm unsure of getting that.

Great week, Star Parodier is a fantastic shooter and I recommend it even to those who aren't fond of the genre; the music and colourful graphics are really a joy to behold Not that difficult 'til the final few levels either - a great place to start for newcomers to the genre!

I am surprised no Olympic type games are coming out or scheduled to come out. Track and Field would be a nice tie in with the Olympics.

@Ginta: Actually there's only one starship to play, the other 2 are Bomberman and the PC Engine/TG16

I'm not much into shooters and made it to the last level on 2nd difficulty.
Those who want a challenge can try the 4th

* "whining" warning *

No offence meant to anyone who was waiting for today's games, and not to sound overly skeptical, but I think last week's epic release announcement fail and this week's correct release announcement shows how much VC is becoming a subpar game milking service. Like Tony said (#8 & 11), it is rather strange and disheartening to see the lack of consistency in release annoucements and actual releases, and the fact that VC has become a dull, disconnected service. Appart from building up Metrohype before MP3C release, VC has lived a solitary and mycologistic life in a damp, remote cave. There are 2 weeks left to August to release announced games (MM1, Ys and SS2), so I'll wait 2 weeks before making final conclusions on VC and believe me, I'd be really happy to be proven wrong.

* end of "whining" warning *

i'm going to expect most of the posts here will be "we've been waiting weeks for these games but now that they're finally here, lets bitch about how they're not Earthbound or that we don't need yet another shooter on the VC"

Maybe....juuuuuuust maybe I'll get Star Parodier, but right now I can't even download videos on this connection till it gets fixed.

lol @ Bass X0: That's how it always goes

I for one love Cute 'Em Ups, but I'm actually excited about the WiiWare release, as I love Homestar Runner and Telltale Games

They already are.
And I expect most of the non-complainers to be too busy playing Star Parodier to say anything positive about the release.

It's about time we got these games. Unlike last week, this weeks entire line up, WiiWare included, was announced ahead of time, so no surprises. I fully expect the remainder of the month to consist of Mega Man, Neo Turf Masters, Ys: Books I & II and Samurai Shodown II. Add those to the already released August games and you have a pretty decent month actually.

MM1, Ys and SS2 in the next 2 weeks would be cool, but the only one I might get is Y"s. I'm still not sold on the combat system from the videos. Getting either SMRPG or Earthbound this year would be nice.

Well, I'm glad that this week's releases are good and I'll probably download Star Parodier eventually but right now I have no room and I need to beat some VC games so I can delete them. (although a hard drive would be more convenient, hint hint)

@STEADY MOBBIN 22 sez -- "MORE SHOOTERS PLEASE!!!!!!!"

I agree wholeheartedly! Shmups rock!

I only want Mega Man 1+2 and EarthBound, so I might be waiting awhile.

Oh yeah and Super Mario RPG. That'd be great to have as I have never played it.

I haven't put any money into Wii Points in a long time.
Looks like that trend continues for me this week.

Miscommunication. That's all I have to say about last week.

As for the rest of you still whining, there's eBay. Check it out if you can't wait.

Now onto today where we see a much better Wii-kly update with Star Parodier and Strong Bad. I'll wait for the reviews on Strong Bad but I'm downloading Star Parodier as soon as I get the chance. Gley Lancer and Super Fantasy Zone were ok and all but I was really waiting for Star Parodier to be released. Now the only TG-16 I'm looking forward to is Parasol Stars. Here's for hoping.

Star Parodier looks pretty neat, but I'm having trouble convincing myself to part with the $9 to get it. Pretty pathetic, eh?

About time you guys got Star Parodier. I highly recommend this game to anybody who is interested since this is perfect for those who find shoot em ups too difficult. At the same time it appeals to those who want a challenge. since you can crank up the difficulty.

I are waiting for mah Megamans.

Everyone who's whining about not getting the games they want or losing hope about ever getting the games should remember that a lot of heavy hitting games have come up on the radar for release within the next half-year or so. Mega Man 1 2 and 9, Samurai Shodown 2, SMRPG, Earthbound, Phantasy Star 4, Shining Force 2, and who knows what on WiiWare. There's still tons of time for us to get great games at a very acceptable pace. Don't Panic.

Yeah, the next import we really need is super mario picross. Oh and how could I forget about Castlevania X?

mmmmmmmmmmmmm i'll wait for SSll. My kind of game.

"Star Parodier" looks like a lot of fun...

I think America will be seeing Neo Turf Masters Golf before they see Samurai Shodown 2. America only got the first game a month after we did so its probably too soon before they see the second.

@ Ian Daemon trust me its loads of fun.

@Bass XO
noooooo dont say that they might hear you and change the date to later in the year everybody just say you want it next week lol.

I might have to check out this star parodier since its getting high praise all around. not a huge shoot em up fan. I do like a few though. as for wiiware, my 1st purchase there will probably be MM9. Still waiting for Ys and still have to get splatterhouse 2 when I stop being lazy. been a while since getting anything of VC. (River City Ransom)

"[sarcasm] MORE SHOOTERS PLEASE!!!!!!! [sarcasm]"

LOL--more/different people wanting Earthbound and Super Mario RPG! Let 'em speak!

Really, if it were a case of a game getting delayed because it needed more time to get polished or something, I'd be on people's cases about whining too. (I don't think I've ever complained about a development-related delay for games I'd been following)

Star Parodier really looks fantastic and I'm glad it's finally out, but I'm taking a break from buying shooters for now (I have about a dozen). They really can start to get old a bit faster than other genres, in my opinion, but I'm glad to finally get to dig into this genre a bit with the VC since I passed it up back in the day--I didn't consider them worth $40-$50 compared to other games back then.

I was really hoping for mega-man oh well

Funny how any comment that does not come close to "HURRAH" is considered whining. How about being critical? Having an opinion that is not that of everybody? Taking a different perspective?
Even if those games were awaited, and I know they were, the problem is one we already mentionned and that will get bigger as time passes. Cally just mentioned it : shooters get old a bit faster that other genres (and I would add fighters too).
So I'm asking : how many shmups/fighters before you get tired? You can't really be downloading every damn game that comes out on VC (unless you're rich and/or have no life), even if you're a fan of the genre. Heck, I'm into RPGs, but I'd be pissed if every week saw the release of 2 RPGs.
I just checked what VC had to offer for every genre (US, but should be pretty much the same for EU), this should surprise a few :
Action/Adventure : 77
Fighting : 34
Shooters : 30
Puzzles : 18
RPGs : 11
Sims : 8
Strategy : 5
So let me ask again : how many shmups/fighters before you get tired?
Oh and go ahead, shoot the messenger, you shooter fans

This crap is the reason I went out and bought a Xbox 360. I still totally heart my Wii, it's just neglected by publishers/developers/NoA. So the choice to you all is to either a) Nut up and wait out the storm or b) Buy another system that gets better support.

@Bass X0, #20. lol at that. Can't people just be happy we Finally got Strong Bad's Cool Game on WiiWare and a good, funny shooter? I love cute 'em ups, and other quirky, cutesy games, and I have been looking forward to SP for a while now. In fact, if I had the points, I'd be off this site and playing it right now.

If some of you guys keep complaining about SMRPG and "The E-word", Nintendo will probably push them to release in May 2009 just to piss you all off. XD

@Saint Nick: "This crap is the reason I went out and bought a Xbox 360. I still totally heart my Wii, it's just neglected by publishers/developers/NoA. So the choice to you all is to either a) Nut up and wait out the storm or b) Buy another system that gets better support."

Why don't you go ahead and sell your Wii while you're at it? Honestly, I'm sick of these "long time Nintendo fans" who do nothing, but complain about the Wii and support the competition. The Wii has some great exclusives coming out. You're not going to get The Conduit, Mad World, Fatal Frame 4, and Tenchu 4 on the XBOX 360. Enjoy the red ring of death!

lol, no samurai showdown 2, never mind, I am curious about Strongbad tho...

Hey Bass, wot part of the UK r u from?

Damnit, I wrote a long comment concerning my thoughts on the people squealing about their dissatisfaction for the weeks when clearly this is actually one of the better ones in comparison to the NeoGeo shooter/brawler weeks as of late (only to have my web browser window suddenly close itself down). People are never satisfied sometimes.

That said, this IS a great week, if Break In gets taken out of the equation (I'm not much of a fan of billiards but I bet there's some that are). I'm glad to see such a great Import title like Star Parodier hit the American shores at last, and the potential sign that a European release for Strong Bad's first episode is nigh has made me feel good for the Wiiware side as well. I say embrace the week well - you may not quite get anything quite like it in the few months ahead, trust me on this one.

cheshire

I was hoping that Mega Man would come out today, but Star Parodier is good too.

@Rexy: "People are never satisfied sometimes."

Rexy, you have to understand that there are a lot of Microsoft and Sony fanboys posing as Wii users on these forums.

Considering that most people (save the true VC-hardcore crowd that must own everything!) won't buy more than maybe 5%-10% of all games that get released on VC, then one has to conclude that you'll only get a game you truely want maybe once a month or so. There are a limited number of blockbuster games that have come out for these systems and it'll take time for them all to come out.

I probably won't get anything this week, but it seems 2 of today's releases look pretty good so really there's no need to complain. I may check out Star Parodier sometime in the future if I'm looking for something new to try.

well if these are comng out now then next week will hopefully be the "Super Monday" week with Samurai Shodown 2, the YS Books, and mega man

Parodier + Strongbad = BRILLIANT release.

@DEMON212: I agree.

So how exactly am I supposed to pronounce "Star Parodier"?

(well... i know how to pronounce 'star')

Good to see "confirmed" titles actually released but Im NOT trusting Nintendo yet!

@Falco, comment #55: I wasn't referring to any MicroSony (lol!) fanboys but rather some of the comments above, namely those that A: don't want any more shooters of any description, B: purely want Earthbound (even though that IS a great game), and/or C: still want whatever they were promised last week. After all the attention that Star Parodier in particular has received for the past few weeks I was kind of hoping it would at least face a much nicer reception.

@Ian, comment #59: No idea, but I've had "Pah-ROH-dee-uh" etched in my head for a while now. Some people might think differently though, lol.

@FalcoLombardi" Why don't you go ahead and sell your Wii while you're at it? Honestly, I'm sick of these "long time Nintendo fans" who do nothing, but complain about the Wii and support the competition. The Wii has some great exclusives coming out. You're not going to get The Conduit, Mad World, Fatal Frame 4, and Tenchu 4 on the XBOX 360. Enjoy the red ring of death!"

Hey there buddy, I'm not turning against my lovely little white Wii. After all, when it came to what new next-gen system to buy, I picked up the Wii first... and I am totally cool with it as a piece of hardware. Specifically, I'm compelled to play every single Mario outing that Nintendo throws at us.

The Wii still totally has it, I was merely making the point to others that there are two ways to go on this whole "Nintendo has forsaken us" trip. I took the road most traveled and ponied up for a complimentary system to sit along side my beloved Wii... and this is not a new trend. I've done this since the days of SNES vs. GENESIS. As a result, my stock in the VC is very specific. I had almost all these games the first time they came round. There is just a handful of titles I missed. But I digress. The biggest problem NoA is doing, in my eyes, is releasing so many of the games I desire in Japan and then turning around and shoveling tripe down our throats over here. I don't feel betrayed or anything, I'm just an impatient American.

So I bought a different console. Is that so wrong?

"Parody-er"?

Well, I was kind of hoping for Samurai Shodown II today, though I can't say I'm too disappointed to see Star Parodier today. I was kind of planning on getting Super Fantasy Zone alongside Star Parodier(one good game deserves another), but since I used up half my card yesterday on F-Zero X, that's not really happening.

I'll wait and see if SS2 is there next week, and if not then I'll give in and get Star Parodier. Until then, I finally have a chance to work on my art, thanks to the ever reliable daily deluge.

Or I'll unlock more cars in F-Zero X.

@Saint Nick

No, you're not wrong in buying another console. I've been thinking about doing the same. I don't like how Nintendo and other publishers are doing the bare minimum as far as the Wii goes. And if Nintendo thinks I'm going to buy watered down Wii versions of Star Wars: The Force Unleased and Tomb Raider Underworld, they have another thing coming.

use the cheat code to unlock all the cars, mick.

@Rexy

Okay, I read some of the post, and I see what you mean. Did everybody forget what this game is? Did they forget how much they wanted this game, and how much they complained when it didn't arrive? I don't understand how everybody suddenly thinks it's a bland boring shooter. What happened?

@Saint Nick

There's nothing wrong with getting a second console to go along with your first. When I had the N64, I also got a PSOne; When I had the Gamecube, I also got the PS2, and now that I have a Wii, I also intend on getting a 360. I glad you're happily owning both systems, and will be able to enjoy exclusives from both consoles.

Though I do have to say, it's not like nothing is on the horizon, and games like The Conduit and de Blob are definitely games to look forward to.

@BassOX

I like doing things the old fashion way - through hard work and dedication. It gives you that sense of satisfaction you can only get from video games, and it makes it feel all the more special.

@Ian Daemon: "So how exactly am I supposed to pronounce "Star Parodier"?"

"Star PA-ro-dyer". It takes the "paro" from "Parody" and the "dier" from "soldier".

Japanese is phonetical, so the pronounciation can easily be read from the title.

Combined with Strong Bad's release, this is the best week ever for me on the Wii Shop Channel. That ain't even an understatement. I have yet to play either game, but I'm truly excited for I'm getting both Strong Bad and Star Parodier.

For those complaining, keep it up but keep it quiet. For one, you guys should've expected these games. For two, at least Nintendo is now being consitent. Still, you have the right to complain. If I had a shooter already, I probably wouldn't have liked today's releases either. I see your pain today, I just don't want to see it that much.

And the best for last...the only reason I'm on here and not on my Wii is my TV has become inoperable...and now I have to wait until the proper services can correct this dilemma. The one week in summer I've been looking forward to and this happens...I know there is some funny irony to this, but right now I'm beating that irony to death...

I have come to the conclusion that NoA is like the discipling adult and we the customers are the spoiled brats that always "I WANT A PONY/BB GUN" in this case substitute pony for SMRPG or Earthbound, or even both of these highly OVERRATED RPGs. If we keep asking, yelling, screaming, whining, bitching, or anything that relates to making yourself look like a you know what... then the parents or NoA will just keep saying, "NO!" If this theory is indeed true; then please, shut the (censored) up and perhaps NoA 'might' be nice and release either one or both (if we are EXTRA special ).

@Virus

Think that's bad? I have to wait till Thursday for my ISP to figure out why my receiving bandwidth is so crappy. How crappy? How about Nintendo Shop Channel loading for 5 minutes crap and timing out every time.

@ Mickeymac and Rexy:
Well I'm pretty sure we'll hear from those that were waiting for Star Parodier when they leave the game for a second
I personaly was not waiting for that game and I was only speaking for myself. Like I said, taking a step back might help see things how they appear in the long run. Let me lend a hand, I did the maths for you. Since January, we had 54 games released :
13 action/adventure
12 fighter
9 shooter
6 puzzle
6 arcade
5 sports/racing
2 RPG
1 sim
(US, might be off by 1 or 2 since VCR uses weird genres like import. IMO, a japanese shooter I never saw is still a shooter, but maybe it's just me)
So you do realize that if we take action/adventure out of the picture (which is a rather large and very encompassing genre), we've had as much fighters + shooters (21) as all other genres altogether (20).
So maybe Star Parodier was highly anticipated, but maybe in the meantime people just realized that it was YAS (Yet Another Shooter TM). So even if we DO get SS2 next week, I'll be "whining" if it does not come with MM1 or Ys because it'll be YAF (Yet Another Fighter TM).
Take your favorite dish, eat only that 2 times a day for a month (you can still have what you want for breakfast), then we'll have a talk.
I for one don't care if it was reviewed at 98% in 1985 and still got 94% in 2008. It's YAS or YAF. I think the best thing that could happen to VC right now is no fighters and no shooters for a while.
My 2 cents. Sorry if I sound like a perpetual rant, I just came back from vacation with a cold

This is an awesome week!

By the way, what ever happened to Zombie Ate My Neighbors? That used to be "complained" about alongside Earthbound (and a lot more than SMRPG). Did I miss something?

Shhhh!! Don't mention that game! People will start complaining about that one too!

Honestly, what is so great about Z A M N anyway? Looks a bit boring. >.>

hurray another shooter..........and no people shouldnt be happy with Strong Bad's Cool Game........this is the VC site not the wii ware site. One of the biggest selling points of the wii for me was the VC, however; they do not put anything on it worth buying. This of course is making it blatanly obviously it was not worth getting the wii.

Maybe y'all should at least try Parodier out. This game has hooked people that aren't into shmups.

"I for one don't care if it was reviewed at 98% in 1985 and still got 94% in 2008. It's YAS or YAF. I think the best thing that could happen to VC right now is no fighters and no shooters for a while."

Actually, there's been a drought of GOOD fighters on the VC. I like fighters but the bad games are not acknowledged just because they are bad. It doesn't matter whether its a crap fighter or a crap game from whatever genre you choose, its still crap. GOOD fighters on the VC are Samurai Shodown 1 &2, King of Fighters '94, Streets of Rage 2, River City Ransom, Street Fighter II Turbo and Super Street Fighter II.

Seven. And although Samurai Shodown 1 just came out recently in the U.S., its really been a long time since the last good fighter before that, that it did actually feel like there was a drought of fighting games to me. I prefer one-on-one fighters to scrolling beat 'em ups.

Can't decide between Soldier Blade and Star Parodier.

I NEED HELP!

That means you Corbie.

And other people.

Earthbound and Mario RPG are YARPGs. Why do everyone keep pining for those?

I love both of those games, but Star Parodier is outstanding. It's got a unique charm about it. Let me put it this way - I'm a huge Twinbee and Parodius fan, but I'd take Star Parodier over any of them any day!

I hope the Parodious games come to VC soon. I just bought Star Parodier and it's great! I can't beleive all the fun I was missing out on having never owned a Turbo grafx. I actually like these Parody shooters better than the real ones. All the lighthearted colorful scenery is really cool and neat to look at.

Thanks Corbie. I knew I could count on you for SHUMPS advice! Plus it sounds so funny... cute em' up. lolz

@ Adamant
Really? YARPG? There are 37 fighters and 32 shooters on VC and 11 only RPGs. I agree with you that asking for these 2 games only is getting tedious (and on my nerves too!). I am not asking for any game in particular because I like being surprised. Which has not happened in months. Heck, I'd take the worst RPG on NES (you name it) over the best shooter on any of VC's console right now. Just because it would make a change. I totally agree with you, asking for ONLY Earthbound and SMRPG is really getting old, but YARPG? Come on.

What does YARPG stand for?

Yet Another RPG™. The trend's catching on, isn't it?

@Kutlist, comment #84: In other words, you'd rather play Hydlide over Axelay, R-Type, Fantasy Zone and the like? That sounds a little ambiguous if you ask me. I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with asking for RPGs at all, but seriously, there are plenty of people around here that see both SMRPG and Earthbound as a "YARPG" no matter how much they get brought into discussion.

@Kultist

Well, Earthbound is certainly unique and charming, but SMRPG, while fun, isn't exactly all that special, so I guess the term Adament should've used is JARPG, or "Just Another RPG".

In any case, I'm a shooter fan, so I'm actually very happy to see all the shooters on the VC, and if there were more great fighting games, I'd be happy about them too. Heck, usually I'm disappointed when I see an RPG in the update section. I've grown a little more fond of the genre these days, and there are some I'd like to see hit the VC( Crystalis, Lunar, Secret of Evermore, Panzer Dragoon Saga), I can't say I'm all that disappointed when they don't show up. Usually I hope for a shooter or a fighting game, and I rarely disappointed!

However, I do wish we'd see more platformers, since those are my personal favorites, and I haven't seen a new one in a long while. Geez, now I'm complaining!

Edit: And now the daily deluge is leading to floods! Yet another reason to stay indoors.

A step in the right direction, but I'm still waiting for a stellar title, Nintendo.

@ Rexy : Yes I think so, though I must admit I have R-Type which would make the choice a bit harder. But still, I personally prefer lengthy games like RPGs, simulations and strategy. I agree that to some SMRPG and Earthbound are YARPG (I also think SMRPG is a rather bland RPG, but Earthbound is a really special and tongue-in-cheek old school RPG), but when I said YAS and YAF, I was referring to the fact that it was "Yet Another". We've had our share of shooters and fighters lately and even if the best of each was released tomorrow, I'd still be "YAS and YAF" because there is a tad bit too much of those right now and because, well, like it or not, shooters and fighters are a repetitive bunch. Some balance would not hurt. I'm taking RPGs as an example because the genre is really lacking on VC (could be sims and strategy too. How about Warsong? Me wants Warsong! )
@ Mickeymac :
You said it. Earthbound anytime, SMRPG can wait till 2012 for all I care
See, I know each and everyone here has personal preferences, and I'm all for that. That's why I try hard not to generalize. But still, I'm sure that even as a shooter fan, you're getting behind every shooter released lately and I'm pretty sure you did not get all of them (or did you?) because they're not all worth it. I for a RPG fan would not download half of what would be released if every NES RPG was released right now for instance. Still, RPGs are pretty much very unique and require a different kind of playing involvement, which IMO make them a special offering when they show up on VC. And yes those games would all make a great addition to VC, especially Crystalis which has a special place in my personal video game hall of fame.

@Mickeymac

Panzer Dragoon Saga is a four-disc game--I somehow doubt it. Sega failing to re-release that game in any form since the Saturn version is totally inexplicable, and is the worst videogame tragedy I know of. Even with data-compression I can't see how that game would fit onto the Wii's entire system memory.

I always wondered if Nintendo holding back RPGs had something to do with the longer playtime. Shooters essentially go by faster, or you finally start giving up for a while after seeing level 1 a thousand times and level 6 ONCE. (Does it sound like I HATE limited continues?)

But if you were engrossed in a sixty-hour RPG or two, how often would you check the VC and be clamoring for more games?

@Cally

Yeah, that's why I'm not to disappointed when I don't see it, it'd be completely infeasible for such a game to come to the service, but I still hold some hope for it. Maybe someday Sega while wise up and rerelease it. It doesn't have to be a remake either, just an SE-style straight port. More impossible would be a Panzer Dragoon compilation, but I'll still hope for it anyways.

@Kultist

You know, every time I think about getting one, a new one comes out, and then I decide I want that one, but then a new one...maybe you're right, maybe there are too many shooters on the VC. They need to slow down on their releases so I can catch up! I think I got like, 2 shooters right now, and there are a lot more that want.

Well. if feel like asking for games that almost certainly aren't going to come out, I might as well ask for Wipeout 64, since I never played an old school Wipeout game, and Sony hasn't released the stellar games in the series.

I can imagine that during 2009 Nintendo will be forced to give us good games because they're running out of bad ones at this rate.

Okay, Break-in's the only less than stellar game that arrived this week, but then again, it certainly is the best billiards game out so far, so I guess for some it was a pretty great week.

VC has become a dull, disconnected service. I say nintendo has blown its load. Is there anything else left to hope for?

Apparently some of you are happy with the games coming out so I guess I'll simply just have to continue waiting.

Good one Bass XO. That comment gives me hope for 2009.
Like Super Mario Kart hope

@ Mickey
If you want real oldschool Wipeout action, try it on PS1. I really liked Wipeout's look. I think the second one (2097 or XL) was the better one.

@Kultist

Personally I'm vouching for Wipeout 3 and 64, since they have split-screen. Also, from what I've read, 3 sounds like the best in the series, or at least the most complete, and 64 sounds like a decent entry to the series. I'll probably wind up getting all of them in there original formats, it's just that it would be cool to have them as a download, since you won't have to worry about scratches and things like that. Plus it would be cheaper than what people ask for used( for XL and 3 anyways).

Also, VC orders things in more than one genre. For instance, Star Parodier will show up in both Import and Shooter if you search them by genre. So chances are, your numbers are correct.

man this doesn't cut it, ss2 should come to north america now, who gives for break in sheesh

yes 100 why does everybody want to do that.....
i decided to try the star game ( yeah i'm kinda lazy) and it was really fun i was surprised because i'm not really into kid looking games lol.

EDIT wait what i could have sworn i was 100

it must be corbie playing tricks on me again dang it.

i'm still 100

@DarkAkatosh

I completely overlooked your post, and I was going to say the same exact thing!

@andy836

Who's #100?

About some of the comments in here, there's no such thing as too many of a certain genre as far as I'm concerned. As long as the games are good, I'll never get tired of genres that I like; I only get tired of genres that I don't like.

More fighting games? Well, I don't want them, but if there are good ones then I'll say "great" for fighting game fans and I'll say it was a positive step for Virtual Console as a whole.

More shooters? Well, that's great for me. I already have thirteen of them and I won't be stopping as long as the ones I want keep coming. I'm still hoping for at least thirty-two more shooters, in fact, and beyond that there are still a couple more which I'm iffy about.

I'd also buy RPGs and top-down adventure games on VC all day long if I could. If they released Crystalis, Mother, Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya, Dragon Slayer, Ys Book I & II, Shining Force II, Warsong, Earthbound, EVO: The Search For Eden, Illusion of Gaia, Secret of Mana, Shadowrun, Soul Blazer, Super Mario RPG, and Terranigma all over the next ten to twelve weeks, I'd download all of them--and I'd be really freaking delighted about it, too.

In short (yeah, I know, ironic thing to be saying after all these paragraphs, etc.), I won't feel overloaded on a genre as long as the quality games keep coming, and those quality games will always be quality to me no matter how quickly they're released one after another. (Others may feel differently, obviously.)

No I'm 100. You're 99, so nyah!

@Mickey. Wait a minute, there's a Wipeout 64? I've heard that title before, but how's that possible? Isn't it a Sony property?
Anyway, I've been wanting to get into that series. I think I'll start with Pure.
Also, I doubt that we'd see PDS on VC, because there's a rumor that Sega lost the game's code, so a re-release/ remake is highly unlikely. Hopefully, though, there's still hope for Radiant Silvergun.

@Bahamut Zero. If you're still willing to accept suggestions from a second person, I'd suggest getting both. But if you aren't able to do so, I'd agree with Corbie and get SP. He's the shooter guy, so he'd know.
Speaking of SP, I'm gonna say again that I wish I could download that now. Why did I have to waste 900 points on Ninja Commando? WHYYYYYYY???????

@Saint Nick. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a second console with your Wii. I always have a "complimentary" system, whether it's a PS2 to go with my GC, or a PSP to go with my DS. I too plan on buying a 360. Whenever a new console generation starts, I always buy Ninty's console first. I do agree though, that the Wii is not getting the love it deserves. It's full of potential, but many developers choose to waste it cranking out crappy ports and shovelware. However, the Wii future does look pretty promising, with Shaun White's Snowboarding, Wario Land Shake It!, the Conduit, and Mad World on the horizon. By buying a second console, you'll be able to entertain yourself during Wii droughts, and expand your gaming horizons beyond Mario and his posse!

And as for the pronunciation of "Parodier", I pronounce it either puh-row-dee-ur or par-uh-dee-ur.

Edit: Wait, actually I'm the 102nd. Damn Olympics keep distracting me!

Japanese is phonetical, the pronounciation is not down to opinion. It's pronounced like the "paro" in "parody" and the "dier" in "soldier".
"PA-ro-dier". Three syllables. Hell, the game itself even says it's own name during each between-stage scene.

As for Wipeout, yes, it's a Sony property now. It wasn't when Wipeout 64 came out, though.

@Falco. Think of it this way: If you're a fan of Steven Spielburg, and you go to see a movie directed by Quentin Terantino, does that make you not a Spielburg fan anymore? No. Just because you try something different than what you favor most doesn't mean you still can't like said favored thing. If I didn't get a PS2 during the gamecube days, I would've died of boredom cuz the thing barely got any support. And also, I think Tenchu 4 is gonna suck.

@Jiggy. I agree. I'll take a game from nearly any genre, as long as it's good. Unless of course it's a fighter or a Sports game, though exceptions do exist.
And I wish I could have nearly all those games you mentioned appear on the service, but We'll be waiting awhile for that to happen.

@Adamant

"Pa-ro-jer"? That don't sound as catchy.

@Mr. Cheez

Yeah, I don't really know why, and I doubt that it'll ever come to VC, but I did hear it was a pretty solid game, and it even had split-screen for up to four players( XL didn't have split-screen at all). I love racers, and I love Wipeout, so it would be great to play this piece of history.

Also, don't forget de Blob and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of The New World! I was never a fan of Tenchu, if I want a stealth-action game, I'll look somewhere else. I remember that the DS one was pretty bad.

its a lie i tell you i was 100 i could have sworn why corbie why i was 100 ooooo poo.

He did it again! Why is he doing that, he's getting rid of other people's post for crying out loud!

Why are you blaming me for this? The comment I got rid of the other day was a double post. I rarely ever delete comments unless they're just really out of line.

Sorry, it's just that it seems to happen when ever somebody mentions the fact that they're #100, so it seems like you were playing some kind of joke.

@Kutlist, comment 87: I much appreciate your argument on the matter, and I too would potentially give for some kind of RPG to sink my teeth into, no doubt about it. But just for the record, I stated Hydlide because that's one of the most broken, unplayable and downright irritating NES games ever made. o_O

@ corbie
i was just kidding with you hahahahahahahahaha no hard feelings.

at least our comments get posted straight away, back in the early days, everyone's comment had to be be approved before it got posted.

Oh I know you guys were messing around. You also have to remember that sometimes people come back and delete their comments for some odd reason. That's normally what messes up the "I'm 100 or 200" stuff.

FINALLY. I don't like most shooters, but Parodius is an exception. This one looks great too!

And I'll have to pick up Homestar at some point...

Downloaded it last night, "Star Parodier" is a really great game.

i really don't understand how some people are surprised that these games were released today. these titles were announced to be released AUG 11 in july, so i just don't understand why people were looking for mega man or whatever.
EDIT: and i don't really see what is so great about EarthBound, just looks like phantsy star to me.

then clearly you haven't played Earthbound.

There will be no smack talked about Earthbound.

Corbie, Do you know something about Flashback or Out of this world ? Have you heard something? They come to VC right? Is the VC for japanese games only?

To anyone who's ever watched one of my vids and found it helpful.

Also, if you want to know about the above games, head to my channel from that link

Is Star Parodier the best vertical VC shooter out there? I'm not a fan of horizontal shumps.

Corbie, I know you're reading this! (and thanks for all previous shump advice).

@Cally post #89: I've actually stated this likelihood more than once on this site, but nobody seems to care. I don't know why.

The American VC, if you search by genre, has 20 RPG's to date. This is considering that there are questionable games such as LoZ: OoT on the list (no, I'm not trying to start a fight about that again, just giving my view). Considering that RPG's are the most worth-while old games to replay (again, in my opinion), I was looking forward to plenty of them on the VC by now. But no. Nintendo would rather decline my money in the hopes that there are enough people who'll buy YAS and YAF to make it more worthwhile as they stuff their greedy pockets. And based on a lot of the posts on this article, I fear they're right. Face it. If you loved shooters and fighters, but all we ever got was RPG after RPG (like that'll happen, but this is for the sake of making a point), wouldn't some of you probably start complaining about the lack of games you want, too? People complain that a much-complained-about-the-lack-of game is complained about when it's finally released. Did you ever think that maybe it wasn't the same group of people complaining about the same things? As I continue to ask where SMRPG is (mostly because Japan got it two months ago!), I would stop the instant it was released. I would be totally happy that Monday, even if nothing else either VC or WiiWare came out at all. So obviously the people complaining about today's releases, including those who don't specifically mention SMRPG or Earthbound, are still waiting for something like that instead of YAS. If SMRPG was released next week, I guarantee there'd still be at least one person complaining about no Mega Man or Samurai Shodown. It's true that Nintendo can't please everybody, but it truly sucks for people like me to have to sit through months of YAS and YAF in the hopes of getting ONE good game. All I ask is that you try to understand us (some of you are, but not enough) instead of telling us to like what you like when we say there's nothing good.

@ ZERO #120.

YES!

I know Demon, I see your videos (which are awsome by the way).
I wish you would talk a bit more in your top 10/5 lists.

Considering the amount of people looking forward to games like Star Parodier and SS2, I don't think it's fair to call them YAS/YAF. If we were talking about 1-2 star games then I'd agree, like with 'some' of the recent Neo Geo releases.

Also, if one really wants to be critical of the number of games per genre released, then you have to take into account the history of those genres. Adventure was already mentioned as being a huge genre and will therefore have more games than any other, but shooters are probably the 2nd biggest genre based on the time periods that the VC covers.

Also I don't like how they combine 2 very different styles of games together and call it the Fighting genre. When looking at actual fighting games (ie. SF2 clones) there really aren't that many on VC.

Yeah, fighting games and RPGs have more or less the same number of entries on the VC. If you're going to lump brawlers into the "fighting" genre, then you gotta lump adventure games into the "RPG" genre too. And, if you do that, I think "RPGs" will far outnumber the "fighters".

If we were getting Dead Moon- and World Heroes-quality games all the time, I'd see your point, but the fighters and shmups we've been getting are usually of very high quality.

and its really unfair to call Samurai Shodown a Street Fighter clone - its a 2D fighter with motion controls (like the regular fireball, dragon punch and yoga flame) but that is where the similarities end. you really need to relearn how to fight to play it properly and understand the timings of the attacks. some people say there's slow-down, i say its intentional as a bit of added flash and once you start actually learning the game it becomes less of an issue. really, you can't call yourself good at street fighter and then expect to be good at samurai shodown just because its a 2D fighter too.

super street fighter 2 may be easier to pick up and play but i think that samurai shodown 2 is much more rewarding but needs dedication.

There are good fighters on the NeoGeo. However I do believe that the genre had a rough start and we've just been seeing the early NeoGeo fighters from this "rough start" time period. When we get past the early Fatal Fury games, Art of Fighting 1&2 and the World Heroes games as we are currently doing - the future looks bright; with Samurai Shodown 2, the future is now. SNK!

When I say SF2 clone, I only meant to distinguish it from the Brawler type games like Double Dragon which the VC considers a fighter. I wasn't trying to imply that SS is a carbon copy of SF2 with different characters.
It's like with RPGs. Some are turn based and some are real-time action, but they're still RPGs if they hold the same basic gameplay.

I'm just waiting for Majora's Mask. This doesn't interest me in the slightest .

I can't say I'm looking forward to Majora's Mask...I have it and I much rather see some other N64 games (Goeman, DK, or Sillicon Valley). I don't mind a surplus of one genre as long as we have a steady flow of games. If we have a steady flow, all games will come in due time.

Majora's Mask I never really liked. The time system was too much pressure for me. I like to go sloooooooowwwww.

Still it was an importaint Zelda title and needs to come sooner or later.

I love Blazing Lazers, but I think Star Parodier is still the best vertical shooter available at the moment on the VC. Soldier Blade is pretty solid as well.

Thanks again Corbie.
I just learned Star Parodier is in Japaneese. Is there any site/manual that tells you whats what?

Glad to help!

http://vc-pce.com/usa/e/title/staparo.html

And here's some trivia for you. Star Parodier was already translated into English, menus and all, and was going to be released under the name "Fantasy Star Soldier" before it was canned as the TurboGrafx-16 was losing so much ground in the US.

Majora's Mask wasn't for me either. I rented it, and even though the time thing was annoying, I figured a guide book would solve the problem and I bought it. Well, now that I own it, I found new problems with it - time constraint limits the exploration, which is the main reason why I like the Zelda series so much. There were some goods: the dungeons were well designed, and unlike in most Zelda games, your actions have a considerable, visible effect on the game world, but sadly, that's counteracted by the time constraint, which reverses all your progress you make in the game, albeit you get to keep the trinkets in the game. The game had a much deeper story, thanks mainly to the large amount of side quests and interesting characters, yet having to repeat same story over and over removes the sense of story progression. In the end, what could've been great was hindered by one too many radical ideas.

Funny, I never played many games on the Nintendo 64, even though I played it more than the Genesis, and most of the games I did play I already have, or weren't all that good, so I guess I don't mind the lack of N64 games( even if there are a few I would like to see on there).

The TG-16 is definitely a game I'd have liked to have way back when, so I'm glad to see more support of that.

There are more Sega Genesis games out than I can download and I know we are still missing some great games from that system!

I'm pretty happy with the current selection of SNES games.

I would like to see more Neo Geo and SMS games though, especially the latter, since that one is particularly thin, and we've yet to get the original Phantasy Star yet.

All in all, I'm not too upset with the state of the VC, and I know we'll see more classics as time goes on.

Just felt like a rant.

@Bahumat ZERO

Did they not translate the instruction manual? That's a little...odd.

@Bahamut Zero
The game is in Japanese, but most of the menus are in English, so it is easy to know what's what. The manuel helps with that too. The only problem could be the intro and the difficulty setting. For the first, you'll just have to live without the outlandish story (tutorial is also entirely in Japanese but not needed). For the second, I think it is like all difficulty settings--middle is normal, left is easy, and right is hard.

I was also worried about the Japanese, but it doesn't hurt the game at all!

EDIT: Corbie's post helps too, I guess...

Actually, no, the Star Parodier game on the VC is almost completely in Japanese. Being a shmup, though, it's not like you really need to understand the text and dialouge in order to get full enjoyment out of it.

I do recommend viewing the tutorial, though, even if you can't read it. It does a great job showing the differences between the three ships.

As for Majora's Mask... really, there's no "time limit". Using the Inverted Song of Time, the three-day period takes two hours to pass, and that's more than enough time to complete anything up to the point where you can reset time without losing any progress. The time system is used to control what goes on in the world, not to limit the player. Seriously, it's one of, if not the, best game in the entire series, and shouldn't be passed up due to some silly fear of the non-existant time limit.

Corbie is the god of shump help

I had a hard time with Majora's Mask myself, but the dungeon designs were absolutely fantastic (once I got over the fact that there were only four). The mask system was also a very cool variation on the Zelda theme.

But why do I keep heart pieces, special items and yet lose all my rupees? You had to use that (rather dishonest ) bank system, which was just one of the many things that was kind of a pain. Not to mention being in the middle of a dungeon on day three and you had to restart the days, and crawl all the way back to it to finish it--kind of added stress. I also thought it was sidequest hell, especially with the less-than-absolutely-consistent time mechanic leaving you wondering what's going to stick in the world and what isn't (and why should anything, if you're really going back in time?).

Still, it's more than worth putting up with when you think of it as an experimental Zelda (otherwise people would complain about it feeling like a rehash of Ocarina of Time) and admire its ambition. I recommend playing with a guide.

@Stuffgamer1

I tend to agree, RPGs age gracefully thanks to story, artwork, and music and the fact that technology doesn't affect the gameplay so much one way or the other.

The rupee loss is no problem. The big chests with hundreds of rupees restock once you rewind time, so you can fill up your wallets in a minute or so once you learn where they are. Money problems was never really a staple of the series anyway - you usually have more cash tha you know what to do with.

Thanks Bahamut ZERO. Anytime I can help I'm happy to do so. A part of me is still hoping they might add Sega Saturn games to the VC, but I highly doubt it will happen. It would sure be nice for shooter fans as there were some fantastic import shooters available for the Saturn console. And I still think the Saturn controller (Japanese model) is the best shmup controller ever made.

What Cally mentioned was essentially what ruined the game for me. I hated running back to the bank, and I hated opening up the same chests over and over again. The side quest part especially put a bad taste in my mouth, since most of the time it just made what you do seem pointless, since once the three days were over, whatever you were trying to fix just went back to the way it was. Yes, the levels were brilliant, but those are usually the last thing I think about when I play a Zelda game - they're the icing on the cake to the whole experience, the the exploration and side quests being the bread 'n' butter, and without those it it just felt pointless to me.

I'm glad other people were able to look past the flaws and enjoy the game for what it is, but it was just so much against the way I play that I couldn't stand it.

@Corbie

Think it would be worth it if I just went out and got a Saturn? Is the thing region locked?

You can buy a Saturn system, even one from Japan like the white model I own, and then purchase one of the Action Replay 4M Plus cartridges from Play-Asia. It allows all region games to be played on any Saturn console. It's a great cartridge. If you get a Saturn, allow me to recommend these shooters to you:

Soukyugurentai - My favorite Saturn shooter.
Radiant Silvergun - Expensive, fun, and hard as hell!
Dodonpachi - A great bullet hell shooter with tons of firepower.
Gunbird - Very quirky shooter that's borderline cute 'em up.
Layer Section II - Another one of my favorites. Great visuals.
Sexy Parodius - Great cute 'em up and the best of the Parodius series.
Salamander Collection - Collection worth it for Salamander 2 alone.
TwinBee Collection - Another great collection. Great verticle shmups!
Battle Garegga - Amazing vertical shooter with great music and action.
Cotton Boomerang - Great Cotton title with amazing visuals and music.

@Adamant

Yeah, you're right, except for a heart piece that's obtainable when you've deposited 4,000 rupees or whatever it is. I think there were other deposit-bonuses too, like larger wallets. I mostly meant that as an example of inconsistency--that is, trying to use logic or common sense about what goes and what stays is a lost cause. It's trial and error for a lot of things without a guide--especially the sidequests. But I really do think it's worthwhile to stick it out and call it a classic (the final boss was awesome and fairly challenging, as I recall). I just remembered, Majora's Mask is the only Zelda game without Zelda in it (Link's Awakening technically didn't, but there was Marin).

EDIT: On the positive side, the emphasis on sidequests (MAN did you have to work for heart pieces!) isn't a bad thing in itself, as all the sub-plots were legitimately interesting--this, rather than working them into a detailed main storyline. It's just so different from other Zeldas I think people go in with expectations. Majora's Mask+guide=worth it.

@Corbie

Wow, for a console that only lasted a year, it had a lot of great games! I mean, I new it had more support in Japan, but seriously, that's a lot of good stuff! Guardian Heroes and the Panzer Dragoon series was enough to get me interested in the thing, now I HAVE to get it! Thanks, Mac!

@Cally

I got a guide, yet I still don't like it( that may be because I never used it, but who knows).

@Andrew

I believe you underestimate the powers of procrastination.

I will slap anyone who says an unkind word about Majora's Mask. It's just as good a game as Ocarina of Time, maybe even moreso. It's a shame that so many people dismissed the game because of the "time limit". Like Adamant said, play the Inverted Song of Time and you really don't have to worry about time.

And technically, Zelda is in the game, albeit as one of Link's memories.

@Andrew

There was also the matter of TIMING. My memory about specifics is hazy, but many events won't start until a certain or day, leaving time constraints on how long you had to deal with a quest or explorations of areas. That also means you can't just wander around and stumble on things to do quite as easily--you have to be there at the right time. I can't remember, but I think some dungeons were like this. I agree Majora's Mask should not be missed, but just abandon a LOT of preconceived notions about how to play a Zelda game and what to expect. Some of it is clearly somewhat broken (not to put it too severely) because of inconsistencies in the time-travel mechanic, with what somehow stays and what doesn't, but it's totally unique and epic in its own right.

I also didn't mean the absence of Zelda to be a knock on it at all, btw.

@Virus
"I can't say I'm looking forward to Majora's Mask...I have it and I much rather see some other N64 games (Goeman, DK, or Sillicon Valley). I don't mind a surplus of one genre as long as we have a steady flow of games. If we have a steady flow, all games will come in due time."

Oh my God! I totally forgot about Goeman for the N64 (The 2 1/2 side scroller). Yet another title that I am sure Nintendo will neglect to give us.

@Saint Nick
Yep, it's sad to see only Nintendo-published games on the N64 after two years! I hope this changes ridiculously soon! (Then again, I just kind of want another N64 game...)

@Cally: Oddly enough, the schedule of events was one of the things I appreciated most about Majora's Mask. I love just walking around Clock Town waiting for the Milk Bar to open, or arriving just in time for the postman to deliver mail to the Stock Pot Inn. Clock Town just feels so much more alive than any other town in a Zelda game. Nearly every character has a backstory that you learn through a sidequest. No other Zelda game comes close when it comes to the number of these optional quests.

The only fault I have with the game is that it contains a measly four main dungeons. That's way too short for Zelda standards. Oh yeah, and the Great Bay Temple blows.

"The side quest part especially put a bad taste in my mouth, since most of the time it just made what you do seem pointless, since once the three days were over, whatever you were trying to fix just went back to the way it was."

Though I praised the cool sub-plots that are especially strong in Majora's Mask, that did kind of hurt the meaningfulness of doing all the good deeds, knowing that everything would be undone aside from procuring the rewards.

@StuffGamer1

The VC is definitely weak on traditional RPGs. Another reason is surely because they're so ageless and marketable for rerelease--nobody's going to gripe too much about paying full-price for a mostly unaltered version of the thirteen-year-old Chrono Trigger on the DS. A shmup would never get away with that. People want longevity for their buck these days.

Maybe this sounds weird, but an RPG is also something I like to be able to put on a shelf like a good book.

@Cally: I noticed that almost all of the reasonably traditional RPG's were on the Genesis. Does that mean that Sega's the only company actually interested in getting their RPG's on the VC? Then again, we blame Squenix for not putting some of their less-remakable stuff on VC, but what if it's already in Nintendo's stupid release queue and they just can't tell us that? This could only apply for Enix stuff like Soul Blazer and whatnot, but it's still a nice thought.

You need to look at the sub-plots in Majora from the right point of view, in my opinion. After you complete them all and finish the game, ending the three-day cycle, the world continues with all of the quests finished. Not that that really makes too much sense, but some level of nonsensically is to be expected with ANYTHING that has time-travel in it. But the ending scenes clearly show happy people (most notably Anju and Kafei), so it's not just speculation here.

I'm glad the Song of Inverted Time was mentioned here, but some posters seem to have ignored it. In case you didn't know but might well care, it's just what it sounds like: The Song of Time, backwards. That'd be down-C, A, right-C, repeat. Slows stuff by more than half, too, so time's no issue at all. I also say that if you need a guide for this game, you HAVE to go with the Versus Books Perfect Guide. When Versus said perfect, they actually were the darned closest thing to it. There are a few slight exceptions in this guide, but only in the form of side quests featured slightly later in the guide than the absolute soonest you can do them. But I wouldn't imagine playing Majora with any other guide (and definitely not with NO guide), so if you need a guide, get that one.

Didn't Nintendo give us some rot about having trouble getting expansion-pack games on the VC, though? That would probably be why Majora isn't up there. And don't hold your breath for Goemon's Great Adventure, people. They DEFINITELY claimed that controller pack games weren't doable, and that game is one. So that's the main problem, I guess. If anyone's heard more recent updates about these feature issues, I'd love to hear them.

Stuffgamer1: I'm not sure if Nintendo elaborated on the N64 expansion pack situation, but I do know many people have speculated that games requiring the accessory may have some trouble being emulated to the VC. I sure hope this isn't the case, because Majora's Mask should not be missed by anyone.

I also had that Versus Books Perfect Guide. It really came in handy for all of those hard-to-get Heart Pieces. It was SO much better than the Nintendo-brand guide.

Yeah, I agree: the ending changed the bummed feeling you get from the sidequests being undone. This may be another memory lapse on my part, but maybe the some of the completed sidequests stayed complete once they were totally done? (not midway through) And yes I know about the inverted song of time and it does make life a lot easier for getting things done. I also have that Versus Books guide too, and it is excellent. Casey Loe is the best guide-writer ever.

For whatever reason, almost all of the games on the Genesis Collection for the Playstation2/PSP are on the VC now, which had Phantasy Star 2, 3, and 4, Sword of Vermillion.

I didn't know about that controller pack/expansion pack thing. I thought some game (maybe it was Waverace 64?) did have a controller pack function. But that's totally lazy of Nintendo to not work around those issues.

Corbie, you OWN a Japanese only console.
Sheer awsome dedication.

Maybe Nintendo is trying to address the storage solution before putting any more N64 games on the VC? (But that doesn't make sense with the WiiWare titles being larger...) I dunno.

Anyway, Star Parodier is a great game. It offers... almost three times the gameplay that Soldier Blade does and I loves me some Soldier Blade.

@Stuffgamer1

"Didn't Nintendo give us some rot about having trouble getting expansion-pack games on the VC, though? That would probably be why Majora isn't up there. And don't hold your breath for Goemon's Great Adventure, people. They DEFINITELY claimed that controller pack games weren't doable, and that game is one. So that's the main problem, I guess. If anyone's heard more recent updates about these feature issues, I'd love to hear them."

You're right about the expansion pack limitation but Geoman did not use it. It was a straight up game. The real problem with this game is that it's third party, like Virus alluded to. That and it is much to high of quality to see the daylight on VC.

I own both a PC Engine and a white Japanese Sega Saturn console. The PC Engine just proved to be a lot more reliable than the US Turbo Duo consoles and the white Saturn was only available in Japan.

@Corbie

Do the people in Japan like shooters more than the rest of the world or did Sega and Hudson just get lucky?

I think it had to do more with the system sales than a taste in genres. That being said, the shooter genre has always been quite popular in Japan, and the fact that both the PC Engine and Saturn systems were quite popular there didn't hurt either. In fact, at one time the PC Engine was outselling the Famicom (NES) in Japan.

Wow, I knew it did better in Japan, but I never figured it did that good.

Well, I can't resist it anymore, I'm just going to get Star Parodier, and if Samurai Shodown II shows up Monday, I'll just add some more points.

Enjoy Star Parodier. It's a real gem of a shooter. And if you grab a Saturn and have any questions, let me know.

Wow, it gets hard fast! I was breezing through stages 1 & 2, but 3 is pretty tough! I think Paroceaser is the best simply because of his laser attack, it fills the screen no matter where you go.

I checked Play-Asia and Amazon for the Saturn, and I'm surprised, for an import model they charge less than the NA one over at Amazon! I can't get it right now, but I'll try to work it in as a Christmas present. I also checked the Action Replay out, and it sounds like an absolute necessity( good thing it's being sold for cheap)!

What I would like to see in the next few years on the VC is:
NES: Contra, NInja Turtles 2&3, DuckTales, Chip&Dales Rescue Rangers, Metal Gear, Karnov, Guantlet, Paperboy, Marble Madness, R.C. Pro Am, and Rampage.

SNES: Uniracers, Turtles in Time, Return of Double Dragon, SMRPG, Mario Kart, Starfox, Battletoads, Killer Instinct, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Super Punch Out, and Zombies ate my Neighbors.

Genesis: Earthworm Jim 1&2, Ninja Turtles: Hyperstone Heist, Primal Rage, Road Rash, Contra: Hard Corps, TinyToon Adventures, Battletoads, Lost Vikings, and Mutant League Football.

N64: Winback, DK64, Smash Bros., Doom 64, Mario Party, Mario Golf, Duke Nukem: Zero Hour, Killer Instinct Gold, and Majora's Mask even though I have the original Gold version.

That's my huge rant of what I would like to see come out in maybe a few years. I wouldn't even mind to have one game from every system come out thats on this list within the next year or two. BTW, Star Parodier is nothing short of amazing. Deffinently a good buy.

Wait until you get to level 5 and 6. It picks up quite nicely there. It's still a fairly easy game to blow through. But a lot of fun.

@Corbie

I stumbled on your top ten list of shooters under the Gyrostarr thread. I didn't pay too much interest to old-style shooters in their time, but I have about a dozen on the VC now and I instantly thought Gate of Thunder was the greatest ever and (likewise) slightly better than Lords. GoT is just superbly-crafted and totally inspired, really feeling like the developers meant every single enemy placement and obstacle in level design for once, rather than just throwing all their ideas at you haphazardly. Plus, the ability to shoot backward is another huge aspect of the gameplay. Lords has its own fantastic innovations, but is not quite the exact science that is GoT, where it's totally your own fault if you get hit by something. And have you played the masterpiece Panzer Dragoon Orta (modern, on-the-rails shooter)? Same thing--challenging without cheapness.

But Axelay was #4 on your list but here you said that Star Parodier was the best vertical-scrolling shooter on the VC. What the deal?! Also, is there a particular reason you picked the Dreamcast version of Ikaruga?

I just got to level 5, and it was bullet hell( at least compared to what I had been dealing with)! It didn't help that I had died right before I got there, I was so underpowered, I'd die before I got any power-ups. It's still fun though, and the mid-boss was awesome!

Which came out first, R-Type Leo, or Gates of Thunder, since they seem pretty similar? Just asking, since I liked R-Type Leo.

Axelay is both. It's vertical and horizontal, so I didn't count it as a true vertical shooter. And I just picked the Dreamcast version of Ikaruga because it's the one I personally own. It's also the smoothest version of the game, other than the arcade original, of course.

Gate of Thunder came out in Japan 4 months before R-Type Leo hit arcades there. I have the R-Type Leo arcade board that I occasionally pop into my arcade cabinet and play. I like R-Type Leo, but not nearly as much as the original R-Type game.

@Corbie

Thanks! I never played the original R-Type, but I did play Leo, and I thought it was alright. It's the only shooter I've ever beaten, albeit it cost me 5 dollars in quarters and my score was terrible, but still it I hold it in high regards, if only out of sentimism.

@Corbie
I own Ikaruga for GCN. It's tough as nails. It's unique though, and is cool.

To hard to be my favorite though.

Oh, you need to try Mushihime-sama on Ultra mode.

one of my favs is Blastworks. It's very fun.

Blastworks is alright in co-op, but overall, I preferred the original flash version(Tumiki Fighters). The creator tool is cool though.

Has anybody played the 360 version of Ikaruga? I was thinking of getting either that version, or the Dreamcast version. I played rRootage on IKA mode and thought it was pretty great, so I'd love to play the real deal.

I've played the Xbox 360 version of Ikaruga and it's fantastic. The visuals look great, especially on an HDTV. Ikaruga is one of my favorites. Hard as holy hell, just the way I like it. It's like Radiant Silvergun in the way it separates the men from the boys.

@Corbie

Thanks, that's just what I wanted to hear, since I have an HDTV and the 360 one only costs $10. I guess I'm gonna have to man up between now and when I get an Xbox 360.

I'll still probably get the Dreamcast version some day, if only to compare the two.

Oh yeah, Radient Silvergun is a little outside my budget.

Ben Dover #162: Remove every licensed game, Rare game and third-party N64 game to see what we're actually likely to see from that list.

hopefully plattchen will be on monday as well a SS2 i have enough points for both exact.

Bass XO #174: Ya, just being a little too optimistic. I pretty sure Doom, Winback, Duke Nukem, Road Rash, Primal Rage, Killer Instinct & Gold (Rare), DK64 (Rare), Mutant League Football, Gauntlet, and Karnov, probably won't see the light of day. Those Disney and WB licensed game(s) just might. Contra, Earthworm Jim, Ninja Turtles, and the other Double Dragon games will eventually, and Battletoads should, I think since Double Dragon is out. Most Mario games will eventually. Those others I left out, I don't know what will become of them.

Y's book I & II and Megaman would be nice on Monday, but I don't think "Ninty" would be that nice. eh, you never know.

@Bendover83-Comment 176

Battletoads doesn't have a chance to come out. Rare has the rights to the game.

Karnov has a chance to be released. 3 Data East games are on the vc in North America. They are Bloody Wolf, Drop off and Silent Debuggers. G-Mode has the rights to those Data East games. They may have more rights to Data East games.

7th lutz #177: I checked Battletoads on my emulator after my comment, and ya ur right.That sux. Didn't know that about G-Mode, since I haven't played those games you mentioned and haven't done any reading about G-M having rights to DE.

Well time to buy Battletoads online to play on my 1st version Genesis.

I think there's a good chance we'll see a good VC game come out this Monday in NA region. Most of the games in the "Coming Soon" list that have been by the ESRB are games that most people can enjoy. Plus don't forget there's a chance either Mega Man, Samurai Shodown II and Ys Book I & II could show up as well. Here's to hoping...

@Mickeymac, #103.

Of course! How could I forget De Blob, one of my most anticipated Wii games! As for Tales of Symphonia, I never tried the gamecube prequel (And I wasn't really eager to do so), but I'll certainly give the sequel a shot, especially since It'll be the first ever RPG to come to the Wii Besides Opoona (which I heard sucks). I find it rediculous how the Wii has been on the market for almost 2 years, and still has only one RPG in it's entire library. And there's also Samba De Amigo to look forward to too!

Also, I played a demo of Tenchu DS, and it was complete crap.