Clayfrd

gahhh first!

Okay, now that I've secured my first... I just have one thing to say. Can we trust BPlus?

@Stuffgamer1 - I rented (well, I'm renting it now) it on Wii, and it runs fine. I also don't mind the Werehog stages. They're not great, but I'd compare them to an average beat-em-up. They don't feel like a chore like some reviews would make you think; they're just a little slow. The soundtrack is a breath of fresh air compared to other Sonics. I'm getting a 360 for Christmas, so I plan on getting Unleashed for 360 (if purely for the sake of adding to my library of games), so I'll tell you which I think is better. They are definitely different from what I've seen on Youtube. Some of the levels have entirely different structures during the day, but I can't find a good night time comparison. Either way, the Wii version is fun and looks good, so I'll see about getting the 360 version. Again, though, the Werehog stages really aren't bad at all, they're just the F.L.U.D.D. of the Sonic universe. Okay, they're not as fun as SMS, but they're still somewhat entertaining.

@Corbie - I'm not crazy about FPSs either. I like one very occasionally, but it is basically... every other genre that I like. I'm also not crazy about RPGs. I like them, but very few catch my attention. The ones that I can manage to play I usually love, but it's not common.

Hmm... it appears Tamra wasn't mentioned/credited. That fate will probably be mine when May 12 comes.

So two bad games are coming to WiiWare? I'm not surprised.

@Wiiloveit - You don't have a GameCube controller or a Classic Controller?

@Corbie - I don't mind hard games as long as they're not unfair. As long as it's my fault that I died, it doesn't bother me. I was thinking about getting another couple of shooters on VC around Christmas as well. Does it have to be an imported Saturn? I already have an American Sega Saturn. If it does have to be imported, I'll probably pass, but if there are any shooters that work on a North American Saturn (or any Nintendo console, regrettably the Saturn is the only Sega console I have, but I've got everything but the Virtual Boy in terms of Ninty), please let me know and I might check them out. Are there any easy shooters that don't lose entertainment value as a result? I want some challenge, but I'm certainly not a veteran in any regard, so if there's a good shmup for n00bs, let me know. Thanks.

Edit:
Actually, any suggestion for the Saturn would be good. My library is virtually nonexistant. I don't even have "NiGHTS".

@Popyman -
WHOA!!!! Back up. There is not a chance in hell that Unleashed is better than Sonic 2, 3, or CD. No way.

@Corbie - This is pretty far off topic, but how highly would you recommend Ikaruga? I'm making a modest attempt to get into the shmup genre (very modest), and I like what I've seen so far, but I've heard so many good things about Ikaruga that I'm considering getting it for XBLA or GameCube. Probably XBLA since it's cheaper, but the longevity of a 360 makes me worried; that is, I don't want to get a terrible lot of multiplatform games only to have my 360 RROD after Microsoft has stopped supporting the 360... This is certainly an issue for DL games if there is any encryption like with WW/VC games.

@supermarioman - Why? The closest I've come to doing something like that is committing to get Sonic Unleashed (I don't have it yet, but I plan on getting it). Why would you get a game simply because it is bad?

@Will- Both Sonic 2 and Knuckles and Sonic 3 and Knuckles are on the Mega Collection. To unlock them, play Sonic 3, Sonic 2, and Sonic & Knuckles 25 times each. All you really have to do is start the game and exit... repeat.

@ (61) Atlantis1982 - If you can name for me one reason that I cannot refute for why we shouldn't be upset about the Wii's memory, I'll give you a virtual medal.

Actually the game looks really good. I can't really tell what the objective is, but the gameplay looks good, and from the way the player controls, I'm assuming the controls are functional as well.

@General Discussion on Sonic Story - I don't even care about the story anymore. Sega needs to get the gameplay back on track before I'll worry about that. There's one critical flaw in the story anyway. Sonic's games have inexplicably gone interplanetary; Sonic has, without any explanation, moved from planet Mobius to planet Earth. I know it's about as significant to the gameplay as if the Mortal Kombat games were to move from Earthrealm to just plain Earth, but it is still a continuity error. There is no reason why every Sonic cast member would decide to move to another planet simultaneously and without warning. I know I'm nit-picking, but I just felt like doing so .

@SatSR Discussion- I liked SatSR, but I only rented it. Since it's pretty cheap now, I might check it out again. It was just functional enough to warrant buying at bargain pricing.

@Sonic Unleashed discussion - I have yet to try it. With professional reviews ranging from 3.5 (GS) to 10/10 (actually 5/5 is the highest I've seen, but I think it is psychologically easier to give a product a 5/5 than a 10/10 despite their equal value... oh and I forgot the website), with reviewers favoring the Wii version. I've seen videos of the day stages that look good to brilliant, depending on whom you ask, so I'm definitely going to rent it. Anyone have any thoughts on it? Bulbasaurus, I'm not sure I can trust you after your judgement on SA2B . Just kidding... There are some games that I like that most people don't. I can't think of any off the top of my head, though. Oh, and I love Sonic 3 (& Knuckles), but I think that Sonic 2 just barely edges it out. I usually don't fully appreciate a game until I've beaten it (I thought Ocarina was just good while I was progressing through it, but I thought it was amazing after beating it), and Sonic 2 is the only Genesis Sonic I've beaten (I'm up to Robotnik on S3), so I may be a little biased.

@Topic - To come slightly back on topic, I called the score on HAS. I predicted a 2 or 1 after I saw the video. It looks like something I could make in VB (Visual Basic, a Visual Studio programming language with a drag and drop interface that allows users to create windows, buttons, etc. without need for cumbersome and repetitive creation code, which I haven't learned in Java yet... I've made a Luigi game in VB... okay so all I've done is the physics so far, but I'll finish it eventually).

I have never watched Homestar Runner (is that what you do, watch it?), so I know little to nothing about Strongbad, but I hope everyone else enjoys it .

This looks uninspired and bland. I'll play NHL '94 (which I'm terrible at) on my SNES any day over this. I'll wait for the review, but this looks bad.

I beat Sonic 2 using exploits of the two final boss's fighting patterns. You can beat both of them fairly easily without ever really risking getting hit. Well... the way I defeat the Robotnik walker thing isn't an exploit, but the way I defeat Metal Sonic is an exploit. The other way to beat Metal Sonic isn't particularly hard either, though, it's just riskier. Sonic 3, however, I am still working on (I'm on the last level). I've beaten the final boss fairly easily using level select on Sonic 1, but I've never gotten to the boss legitimately, which is also something I'm working on. I guess the only Sonic games I've beaten legitimately (not counting 3d Sonics) are Sonic CD and Sonic Advance. I guess I can count Sonic 2, though, since I can blaze through the whole game in about an hour, maybe less.

@Bulbasaurus Rex - You miscalculated: 1/3 decent Sonic gameplay + 1/3 clunky screwing around in robots w/ Tails and Robotnik + 1/3 terrible (Knuckles) + bland bosses + completely unblanced and ridiculously stupid final boss & level + horrible cheese metal + WTF? Story + meh multiplayer + shallow chao side game = Sub-par contender for WORST Sonic ever made. I am apalled that you could even consider comparing SA2B to the likes of the amazing Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

@shadows262- pshh... <chuckle>... huh... HAHAHA! You think SA2B is the best Sonic game ever made?!?! Everyone has the right to their own opinion, but in this one case, that's just plain wrong! I can't even begin to count the number of ways that game is terrible, especially when compared to stellar games like Sonic CD and Sonic 2. I'm going to have to go laugh that one off for the next 30 minutes.

@longtimegamer - Yeah, Eggman and Robotnik are the same guy, but I like the name Robotnik a lot better. As far as I know, Eggman is an insulting nickname given to Ivo Robotnik by Sonic and his friends. Oh, and Robotnik should be the only human in any Sonic game period.

@Corbie I completely agree. I really like Sonic 1 for MS. The platforming is a bit frustrating from time to time, but I think it's a platformer that is well above average and better than it's Genesis counterpart. I can't say the same about the second MS title (Sonic 2 Genesis is my favorite Sonic game), but Sonic 2 MS is still good.

I have this on Gems collection (well, the GG version, which is apparently identical save for screen size). I didn't play much, but now that this has come out, I think I'll go back to it. I really enjoyed it just like Sonic 1 MS. I like the MS Sonic 1 better than it's Genesis counterpart, actually. Anyway, from what I've played on Gems, this is pretty good. Not really a bad week despite having just one release on VC.

@Mr. Cheez "Hopefully they'll give us something cool for Christmas. <crosses fingers for Kirby's Dreamland 3 or Earthbound.>"

I'm crossing my fingers for both . I can dream, can't I?

I'll just get the official stuff. I need to; I just lost one of my Wii Remotes .

On the topic of Sonic, I think Sonic needs to do what Mega Man did; he needs to make a new game much like Mega Man 9 on a downloadable service. Basically all they'd need to do is make something like Sonic 1, 2, 3, or Advance/Rush and make it a DL game. Throw in some Challenges and Leaderboards for Time Attack, and you've got a hell of a Sonic game on your hands. Oh, and include the Super Peel-Out from Sonic CD. I always thought that was awesome. Don't forget to call the antagonist Ivo Robotnik and remove uneccessary characters (any characters since Sonic Adventure and beyond that wasn't around before SA), and it'll be even better.

@LAA- I don't think the ads are hand-picked; I think they're random video game ads. I could be wrong, though.

Hmm... mobile games are usually only fun for about 15 minutes at a time, but I'll keep an open mind about this if it's that popular.

Hmm... This looks very much like a typical mobile phone game: that is, a very average puzzler good for killing ten minutes but not much more.

Good review. I actually think this looks quite good. I'll have to download it sometime.

@soniczelda dude - We bother with this one because it is a great game. I really don't like Sonic 1 for Genesis that much, and I think the MS version is far better.

I loved Earthworm Jim (still working on it, up to Intestinal Distress), but this game looks terribly average by comparison. I think I'll save my points for Earthworm Jim 2.

@Bulbasaurus Rex- Jeez! Do you like anything?

@Mr. Cheez- There is GameCube controller support on MSA.

I can spend hours blasting through Metal Slug 1-6 on Metal Slug Anthology. I love the Remote+Nunchuck controls, so the version on MSA suits me just fine. I'd recommend any Metal Slug to anyone who doesn't own a copy of MSA and can't find one and can't access eBay (wait, that leaves virtually no one who uses the VC).

"i'm still awaiting super duper street fighter 2.1.5.66 nunchuck edition"

Ha, the "Super Duper" part made my LOL. Did I really just say LOL? There it is again!

This is yet another reason why I'm getting a 360. I still love Nintendo, but they've failed me this time around. Okay, so the main reason I'm getting a 360 is so I can yell, "Jiggy Get!" over and over, but still...

@LinktotheFuture - Get your mom out of the video game market so we can take back Nintendo!

This seems more practical as a DSiWare game, but maybe that's just me. I don't sit at home working Sudoku puzzles, but it might be nice to have on a long plane ride or something.

@Sycoraxic98 (post 52) - O rly? That wouldn't be a bad week.

That's too bad. It seems that Wii controls can make or break any game. Unfortunately, they did the latter to this title .

Hmmm... Boingz could be all right...

I really need to make room for ACR. Should I copy Orbient or Tetris too my SD Card? Hmm...

Wow. That's a nice week. This reminds me that I need to get Cubello one of these days.

New Bonk? Good stuff.

I refuse to let the casual/hardcore comment get me started again. If anyone cares, I posted a speech about it under the Gameloft interview.

@hal(30)- Why couldn't it have been Sony? Sony never had Blast Processing! Why couldn't the industry have killed off Sony instead?!?!? WHY? Couldn't Sega at least have left us with one last killer Sonic game? I hear decent things about Unleashed, but not nearly good enough things. Hasn't Sega read the reviews? Every time Sega has thrown in some classic 2d Sonic parts into their recent trash games, the reviews have read something like this:
"The parts where Sonic is doing what he does best, 2d, are really great, it's the [cutscenes/gimmicks/terrible voice acting/bad story/iffy physics and collision detection] that gets in the way of this being a truly great Sonic game..." Why not just make a 2d Sonic!? Is it really that hard to imagine? People would love it! Get this through your head Sega, if you get it right (Sonic1-3, CD, and S&K), don't change it! None of Nintendo's fantastics series have changed significantly since their birth (other than Mario, who has whored himself out to every imaginable genre and is capable of being in a good 3d game and RPG). Did you notice that after Rare was sold, DK games were not as good anymore (not bad, but not as good)? That's because they changed. Just give me a 2d Sonic with no voices and just enough story to give me a reason to defeat Robotnik, and I'll be happy.

Most fun 16 players can have with one Wii, eh? Rotation mode in Brawl, anyone? Nah, just kidding. This game looks just good enough to actually get... Great review.

@Stuffgamer1 - Interesting comment on the old thread. I was actually thinking about that exact group of games when Mario Kart Wii came up in the discussion somewhere. I thought... "Hmm... Mario Kart Wii... Nintendo has definitely added several casual elements, but the game still comes from a respected franchise... What would you call this?" I'm glad you posted what you thought about that. Games like that really do have bits of both and can't be categorized into the Mega Man type or the Wii Play type. They're basically hybrids.

Hmm... "The target is family or Nintendo fans only looking for Nintendo games."

Partially true. Nintendo has hit this target, but they've lost touch with their original core audience (PLEASE don't start the core/casual argument; I've stated my opinion on the Tiki Towers thread). What Nintendo fans really want is a Nintendo system with all the Nintendo classic franchises in addition to stellar 3rd party support (SNES). The fatal flaw with the past few Nintendo consoles is that developers fail to realize this. I think the Top 5 WiiWare sellers prove my point... 1. World of Goo 2. Tetris Party 3. My Aquarium 4. Brain Challenge 5. Mega Man 9. 3/5 of these are core (if you must, please refer to my definition of hardcore on the infamous Tiki Towers thread). That means that the Wii's supporters still lie mainly in the hardcore audience, but more importantly, all of those core games (yes, Tetris is core... enough) are 3rd party works. Nintendo fans don't "only want Nintendo," we want everything. I think the astronomic sales of Mega Man 9 at launch (on the Wii) also provides unfailing evidence that Nintendo fans want to get back to the way the consoles of old were. Sorry, Gameloft, but that statement is an excuse to produce half-baked "family games" just because you aren't Nintendo (you haven't produced horrible games thusfar, but your interview wording would insinuate that you shall in the future. I think as these family games begin to sell fewer and fewer copies as time goes on, Nintendo will realize their wrongdoing. Who am I kidding? Of course they won't! Regardless, Nintendo and devs like Gameloft have finally pushed me to doing the unthinkable: abandoning my unrelenting Nintendo fanboy-ism to get an Xbox 360. I also don't fit in with the FPS demographic of the 360, but at least I won't be drowned in (as much) shovelware anymore (and I can get Rare's games, yay). Strange, if my Microsoftophile friends ever attack Nintendo with these same points, I defend Nintendo to the death. I guess it's because I've supported Nintendo through all of this garbage. I guess it's kinda like the rule where only a member of X group can insult or make fun of his group, whereas if an outsider does, the group gets angry. Well... it is my carefully nurtured hope that Nintendo will someday return to the greatness that it was about 15 years ago. Then again, it is also my hope that the Hedgehog (or better yet, SEGA) will return to his Sonic 2 glory someday, but progress is pending on that...

Oh, and I thought I'd point this out... Did anyone else notice that Microsoft decided to release their Miis... err... avatars on November 19th, the second anniversary of the Wii? Yes, I believe that avatars are completely an attempt by Microsoft to expand their demographic by copying what Nintendo did in the first place. I wish Nintendo hadn't (see above), but that doesn't change the fact that Microsoft both copied N and released their plagiarized product to the masses the same day as the Wii was released in North America two years ago. How subtle...

Second post? No! Anyway... I plan to get a DSi eventually. They seem to be under the mentality that the DSi is something entirely new, though, which worries me.

Hmm... I'm good at stage racer (I'm on the top 30 on more than one track), so I may have a fighting chance...

Hmm. Doesn't look half bad. I'll have to keep up with this game.

@Mr. Cheez - I second that remark!

Congratulations! It's good to see this site running stronger than ever. Keep up the good work. Thanks to VCR (and the VC) I was able to keep my Wii as my exclusive next-gen console for two long years before finally giving up on Nintendo and branching out. Was that a compliment? Well, it was supposed to be. Basically, VCR allowed me to fully enjoy the VC experience and the Wii in general. Thanks!

@Kultist - A Wii update won't affect disk games. If City Folk didn't have USB keyboard support to begin with, it won't now. I still need to get AC, but I don't have any money...