Syr

@PhoenixSage: Go buy a Pepsi! Apparently the free 200 points are easy to come by.

Ant Nation looks good for 700 points.. would get Pulseman, but I have to clear my backlog of a few platformers before I can justify the 900 points.

Well, Ant Nation is showing up on the Nintendo Channel. So I guess we know what three games are coming out.

This is a masterpiece of a game! Honestly, this is up there with World of Goo, Beat, and Mega Man 9 for me.

It is a tad harder than Beat was, but that's what I should hope from a sequel. Wouldn't we all be a little disappointed if this were easier than Beat? I really couldn't rate one higher than the other (maybe that's just cause I would give them both 10's though.. ). I thought the series would take a step away from the style of Beat with this iteration in the BIT.TRIP series, but was pleasantly surprised to see them sticking to what worked but tweaking it even better. The level progress meter really helps you pace yourself and not get too frustrated -- just one more block!

Another great game Gaijin, keep 'em coming! Commander Video, I solute you.. wherever you are.

I'm still bummed I bought this the day it came out for $50 USD and three weeks later it was in the bargain bin for $30 USD. Last time I buy a hyped CD release on release day. Asking another $10 for the soundtrack is rather insulting.

Decent game though.. still have to finish it, hehe.

IMO the best DSi-Ware game to date! Flip Champs was great, but this has something most games don't.. that indescribable awesomeness that keeps you playing.

This is the most addicting puzzle game I've played since Tetris.

Has anyone been able to get the old cheat to work in this version?

On the FFIV:TAY website it says 1-4 players, but then the press release said one player... I'm confused..

And how do you access the DLC in game? Is it in a menu, or are they new areas unlocked on the world map?

The first chapter alone is worth more than both WarioWare mini-games I downloaded. The ranking system gives the game replay value, and it actually gets difficult to get those S ranks rather early on. Great game so far!

I wonder how many people will comment on the chesticles... All E games should be like this.

I just finished up the first chapter of flip champs... and it kicks ass! Finally a full game on the DSi (well, that appeals to non-football fans).

@sirgrim: boobies. hehehe. I really wasn't expecting all the cleavage shots, but can't complain.

Huh... up at the top it says this is 4 players. I wonder if it's like FFIX where the second player controlled half the party in battles.

Edit: Well the press release says 1 player, so I guess that answers that question. But I would like to know how the DLC packs work. Do you select the story you want to play in the main menu, or unlock areas in the game world?

Woo, made it to comment 30 without someone complaining about about Smash Brothers and Earthbound, it must be a good week!

But how do you guys know whats coming out an hour before it does.. I get on here Mondays at 9 am usually and there are already like 50 comments..

/rant
Ball Fighter..... this is why I bought a DSi? Honestly, the only game there has been to look forward to on the DSi is Mighty Flip Champs. Everything else that has been half way decent (I'll reserve my judgment of these) has been stripped out of another game.

Where is the top notch first party software which Nintendo has built their name upon? I don't think clocks are a viable future for them..

This game piqued my interest months ago when it was announced..

but why does it look so darn boring? It seems like all you do is fly forward trying not to touch bulls or burning balls. Show us a boss, or a vista or something interesting besides those pretty clouds!

Here's hoping for a gameplay video to put my fears to rest.

Seems like there is a disproportionate amount of horror games on the wii... well as long as it is worth playing!

This game looks positively mind-bendingly cool. Oh man, I can't wait!
I'm actually kind of glad this new iteration in BT saga doesn't stray too far from Beat's formula; I was definitely left wanting more in the end. Here's hoping for bonus gameplay modes this time around.

I'm curious how multiplayer will work, if it is included, though.. it seems like it would make it rather easy

I didn't buy a brand new handheld console at launch to wait a month for a themed calculator. WTF is this, they make a system then don't even have any worthwhile release titles! I know some may like those warioware micro-games, and for 200 points there okay, but they are nothing more than parts of a port of a GBA game!
I also bought 2000 points for my Wii weeks and weeks ago in anticipation of Bubble Bobble, or something that wasn't garbage on the VC, but alas, nothing. [/grumble]

@anthonyb: I might have to pick up an XBOX (as much as it pains me to say that) to curb my disappointment in the Nintendo Dumpload every week.. Ugh I feel dirty just thinking of abandoning old Nin, but what's a guy supposed to do when she stops putting out? I don't think flowers might work? Chocolate? Maybe we aren't as thin as when we were all playing Wii Sports every day?

It has to be a shooter right? I mean it's the paddle from BTB morphed into a spaceship firing a laser at ambiguous, colorful blobs!

Plus a Bit Trip: Blast game would be so awesome.

Nervous Brickdown is actually quite good. It's a lot more polished than this game looks.

Thank you, Crazed, for the overview and opinions.

It sounds like for 500 points it is worth the gamble -- and probably better than any NES or MS games I don't already own anyway.

@Crazed: Well? Any impressions? You've disappeared since you said you were going to buy it, so it must be good, right?

That IGN review was whack, he hardly even talked about the game.. Balance board this, no leaderboards that.. it's a 500 point game you can only expect so much. While normally I would bite the bullet and download, I'm feeling the pinch on my wallet from the DSi, so any impressions would be great!

I agree with Marioid. While this may not be a game I complete 100%, it certainly doesn't have an "inherently botched nature of the core gameplay." Sure, it's gets hard, but what happened to when the game gets tough the gamer gets tougher? Most games are too easy these days!

It's inspiring to see a genuinely fresh idea come out of the 2D shooter genre, and a pity for it to get such a mediocre score just because of frustration. Should Ikaruga get a 6 because I can't beat the 3rd level after a month of trying? No!

Don't let this review dissuade you from buying this great little game. If you're a 2D shooter fan looking for something innovative and challenging in a sea of shovelware, BUY THIS GAME! 8/10

So, has anyone tried it? Game play video looks great, hope it plays well with the wii-mote as well though.

Edit: Still no impressions? I might break down and have to buy it.. is everyone too busy playing this to give a thumbs up?

@ Corbie: Yeah, Star Parodier has slightly more solid controls and better transitions between levels, I'd have to admit, but there the novelties in TwinBee which should be commended.

@ Adam: Actually the co-op mode is quite robust! There are three special attacks which can be performed when only when playing co-op mode (check the operations manual).

Also something that should be noted is the hidden VMODE unlocked through a variation of the Konami code (also available in the operations manual), which puts the game into a vertical mode with black borders on either side, but less pixilation. This makes the game look similar to other arcade style top-scrolling shooters like Ikaruga.

Instant download. Great review as always Corbie!

I loved RainbowBell on the Konami Classics Series for the DS, but always wanted to play on a big screen, and as this came out six years after RainbowBell originally came out, it should be a lot more advanced as well.

EDIT: Just had my first run through the first few levels, and I must say, awesome game! It is easily on par with Star Parodier, and with the addition of two player co-op, it may even be an upgrade (though 2 and 5 minute modes in Star Parodier own ). Actually, this might be the most solid standalone cute-em-up I've played.. Parodius and Star Parodier were both pinnacles of the genre, but only because they cannibalized some of their best aspects from their parent games. The upgrade system in the TwinBee series is one of the most unique in any top/side-scrolling shooter -- I could juggle those infernal bells all day!

A must buy for any shoot-em-up fans out there, deserves a 9/10!

20 blocks, really? For looking so much like Star Parodier it sure is smaller //

I know I'll have to dl this, being a cute-em-up fan.. but has anyone else gotten it? Is it on par with Star Parodier? Better than Fantasy Zone, I hope? ..But what I really want to know is.. where the heck is Parodius?!

@MexicanJonny10: Yes, it's 2-player co-op, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqcVAFT7iII

Simply stunning game. It's great to see a game (series!) like this come exclusively to the Wii. It's a breath of fresh air to see a game that so perfectly blends retro pixel-art with a rock-solid control scheme that actually uses the Wii-mote's motion sensing features!

To those not getting this game because of storage issues... just do it!! Big-N already told us their solution (if you can call it that) to the storage problem, so not downloading a game simply because it's large is only depriving yourself!

If I could buy this game again just to show the developer and other companies that we need more of this type of innovation and visceral gratification from Wii games, I would. In fact, I think I'll gift it to a couple friends!!

Oh, and spot on review as always Corbie.
9/10 is the PERFECT score, try the game before you say it's too high!

The one release weeks don't seem bad when gems like this come
along.

While I usually wait to see a couple reviews before deciding whether it's worth it to shuffle around all my wii-ware/vc games to accommodate the new arrivals (312 blocks = 17 NES games!) , the gamble paid off this time!

Awesome game, 9/10 (would be a 10 if it were longer!!)