Though it may not be the best Zelda (I'd put it at 4th or 5th), TP is still in a class way above most other videogames. I'd give it 5 out of 5 (or 9 out of 10 on this site).
This could be controversial, but how about Arika doing a hybrid of their Endless Ocean games, and Metroid? Samus could use a suit adapted for exploring (and light enough to actually swim in) a landscape that exists mostly beaneath a planet wide ocean. If neccessary, there are plenty of ways you could incorporate on foot sections (small islands, air filled caves, maybe even something along the lines of the Gungan city in Star Wars Episode 1, minus the Gungans that is).
Nintendo EAD Tokyo - Sonic the Hedgehog (Wii) Intelligent Systems - Balloon Kid (DS) Amusement Vision - Mach Rider (Wii) Treasure - StarFox (Wii) Camelot - Mario Tennis (Wii & DS) Namco - Pokemon (real time fighting) (Wii) Noise - Custom Robo Adventure (DS) and Custom Robo Stadium (either as WiiWare, a channel sent from the DS cartridge to your Wii, or a Wii disc if need be) iNiS - Elite Beat Agents (Wii and/or DS) Platinum games - Urban Champion Free Radical - Original IP (in the spirit of Timesplitters) (Wii) Valve - (Original IP)
Okay, so I checked and I have 64 Wii discs, of which 23 were published by Nintendo. Now, here's a quick list of ten 3rd party games I own that are not only very good, but also offer unique gameplay that (currently) can't be done on the HD consoles (and no ports!):
SSX Blur Elebits (Eledees in Europe) Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles Zack & Wiki No More Heroes Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Boom Blox Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip House of the Dead: Overkill Madworld
So you see, if you look hard enough, there ARE Wiisons to be cheerful!
I actually thought that the BBFC would have taken over if anything. You'd think their symbols would be more widely recognised and familiar to parents buying games for their kids (Though plenty still seem to be oblivious to the very concept of age ratings).
I've got nearly 60 disc based Wii games now, and even more VC & WiiWare games. I know that's a bit much, but they're all decently reviewed games that interested me. While they're not all essential, most are definitely worth playing if you consider yourself a videogames enthusiast (or 'hardcore gamer' if you prefer).
As I see it, there are four main types of gamers that own a Wii: Well, of course there are the new 'casual' gamers we never hear the end of. Then, the Nintendo fans that stayed loyal throughout the 'dark days' of the N64 and Gamecube. Second hand Wii's are likely to come from what I call 'the Playstation Generation' (I know that, like the Wii and the NES before it, the PS was important for greatly expanding the market, but boy, they don't like 2D do they?). They're much happier playing their HD bald space marine simulators. Lastly,we have the dying breed of the unbiased enthusiast of all things videogamey.
One of the best examples of videogame storytelling I can think of is Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Robotniks' manipulation of Knuckles, and the various appearences of the Death Egg; It's about as minimal as storytelling gets, yet it helps to engage you in the gameplay for the duration. If you've played it (especially with S3 & S&K combined) you'll know what I mean.
It'd be cool if all the talent that left Rare (Stamper bros, Martin Hollis, David Doak etc) got together and formed a new company. They could call it something like, oh I don't know...Ultimate Play The Game?
Well, I think we can all agree that ANOTHER N64 GAME, whatever it is, is a GOOD THING. I just hope there are some (decent) third party N64 games on the way.
The gameplay is still as accessible and fun as it ever was, and that's surely what counts. Sure, it's a little bare bones next to its' sequels, but what's here is good (It has Kirby, Link and Captain Falcon, the characters I use most in ALL Smash games) and graphically, well...it was a bit ugly (or rather, simplistic) looking when it came out, but for good reason (See also: F-Zero X).
As generous as they were with the extra content in the Smash Bros. sequels, the actual fighting has never been as satisfying as in the original. The random chaos of Melee & Brawl is great, but sometimes you just want to go into the options, turn things off and take it back to basics; a pure battle of skills. The brilliance of Smash Bros. is that everyone can use the attacks (they're mapped to single buttons instead of complex combinations), but it's how, when and where you use them that counts. Also, I used Kirby all the time, whereas I mostly use Link in Melee & Brawl.
Anyhoo, call me greedy, but I WAS in the mood for another VCA game.
Looks like it'll be a direct sequel to Twilight Princess (in terms of plot & setting, if not gameplay).
I'm curious to see what happened to OOT & MM's Link when he grew up properly (without time travel). We saw his GRAVE in TP, and it was implied that swordmaster spirit thingy that taught you new moves was his ghost, but how about a new adventure? Maybe as an (episodic?) WiiWare game using the N64 graphics?
By the way, could someone refresh my memory and tell me if the end of TP showed Link putting the Master Sword back in its' pedestal? Though I guess there's nothing to stop him going back to grab it again.
The VC is the Nintendo download service I'm most interested in, yet it seems to be getting the least focus recently. At this rate, it wouldn't surprise me if they forgot about the Hanabi Festival this year.
If Samus is going to talk in this, I hope they at least keep her dialogue minimal (Like Clint Eastwood, more Snake Plisskin than Solid Snake). One of the reasons I think the silent protagonist is so effective in videogames is because the less you KNOW about a character, the easier it is to BECOME the character, and the less personality they have, the more of your own you can project on to them. Whether expressing yourself out loud or just in thought, it can be far more involving and satisfying than watching your character think, speak and act for you in cutscenes. When playing a game with NPC's we expect them to guide us and basically tell us what to do through their dialogue, but there's little more annoying than being told what to do by OUR character (with the exception of Guybrush Threepwood's common sense based refusals). To borrow and drastically alter a quote from Batman Begins: It should not be a script, but the player that defines a videogame character.
This is what makes Link one of the greatest characters in videogames, along with his simple look and humble roots that makes the 'zero to hero' journey all the more satisfying (and Little Mac too!).
Is this REALLY real-time? I mean, GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY! Finally, third parties are making Wii games with Wii graphics. Who woulda thunk it? Shame Factor 5 never got a stab (assuming they're really dead).
42-55 (40 KO) "Join the Nintendo Fun...I mean Club Nintendo today, Mac"
I know I shouldn't really compare the two, but I think as a single player game Punch-Out!! is more fun than Fight Night (rounds 2&3 being the ones I've played), but EA's series takes the cake for multiplayer. I don't really think Punch-Out!! should have points knocked off for it's weaker head-to-head mode though; like Smash Bros. Brawl (with its' overlong adventure and dodgy online modes) the developers were a little TOO genereous if anything. One Wii remote in the NES position is all you need for this game, along with blood, sweat...and chocolate!
42-53 (40 KO) "Dance like a fly, bite like a mosquito."
Great game, and a good example of Nintendo's 'easy to learn, difficult to master' styles of gameplay. It can be very tough, but it's always fun and has that 'just on more go' addictiveness going for it. I'm currently trying to beat Don Flamenco in Title Defense, and I'm still determined because I KNOW I can beat him...eventually.
Remember:"A comeback is like a YoYo; you might go down, but you'll come right back up again... And you may end up walking the dog."
I would like to see some more VC Arcade games, like one of the original Punch-Out!! games perhaps. Nintendo might feel that releasing them alongside the new Wii game would negatively affect sales of one or the other, but personally I'm so hyped about it that I'll snap up any Punch-Out!! related tat you throw at me.
Anyway, neither WiiWare game gets my points this time.
"Fans of the super-groomed tree sacrilege must now tremble" Sounds like a quote from a Zero Wing/Yoshi's Story hybrid.
Maybe it's sold poorly because it just came out of nowhere, and to most non-Nintendo fans or new gamers it probably doesn't look very appealing.
Punch-Out!! should do well because it has an excellent advertising campaign for a 'lesser' Nintendo brand game (ie not Mario or Zelda), along with the nostalgia driven hype and good reviews. It won't match Wii Fit, Brain Training, Mario Kart or even Smash Bros. in sales, but I'd be surprised if it 'flops.' Most loyal Nintendo fans (like those who had the N64 & 'Cube) would buy ExciteBots, but perhaps Nintendo feel that's not enough to justify bringing over something they can't sell to their 'new' audience.
Aside from running out of ammo, why would you use a sword if you have a gun anyway? Perhaps for stealthy kills if you lack a silencer, but if players don't need to rely on the sword and it's no longer integral to the game, won't the name 'Red Steel' become redundant?
LET'S ATTACK AGGRESSIVELY until they bring this over our respective ponds. In the meantime, as part of the Hanabi Festival (Should we get one this year) could Ninty give us the US version of NES Contra, 480p/60hz and all? They did so with Ninja Gaiden, and I wouldn't mind paying the extra 100 points. They could also give us the arcade version too now that the VCA has been added.
Anyway, please hurry with the translation Konami, don't worry too much about any Engrish that might get in, we won't mind The sooner we get this baby LOCKED AND LOADED, the sooner we can LET'S PARTY! (Can't wait to Spreader get!)
I don't believe it! BEER PONG! Are we ever gonna see any of High Voltage's games over here? I'd like to play Gyrostarr. At least The Conduit is being published by Sega so it has a better chance.
I thought the graphics were nice at times in Red Steel, though it looked better in screenshots, while I'd say the opposite is true for Onslaught.
Anyway, it's nearly 4am where I am, and it's House of the Dead: Overkill I'm really looking forward to today after some sleep (it IS out today, right? Maybe Deadly Creatures too?). But Onslaught is a nice surprise, and if you've got points to spare, I say give it a whirl.
If you don't mind me answering too, I found Red Steel's controls horrible. Aiming was fine, but the turning was so slow that if an enemy was out of sight (ie: behind you) then you were doomed. In Onslaught you can make the turning much faster in the options screen, though as I said it doesn't feel as good as the advanced settings on MP3, COD5 and MOHH2. Still, the nature of the level designs and enemy placement I've seen (plus squadmates that watch your back) indicate that the controls are sufficient for this game.
@Objection Blaster The Nintendaan vids seem to suggest there are 13 missions if I saw correctly, and assuming the number and content of missions in solo and co-op modes are mutual. From what I've seen there are different objectives, though they tend to be variants on "shoot all the bugs." There could be surprises in store later on for all I know. I expect the real fun will come from playing the later missions on a higher difficulty and seeing how you rank online.
@Longtimegamer-yes, the voices are repetitive and annoying, and the music's not much better.
I'm only predicting what score it'll get. No serious critic or even casual player would score a game after playing only a handful of levels. It may even be marked down for the types of multiplayer modes it lacks, though it was generous of Hudson to include any at all I think.
I've just played the first 4 levels of Onslaught, and I'd say it's looking like a 7/10 at least. The controls aren't as good MP3, MOH:H2 or COD:WAW, but they're better than Red Steel at least. There are some interesting ideas here, such as different formations for your squad mates, and controls activated by a flick of the nunchuk, including throwing grenades, a laser whip and wiping bug guts off your visor! The environments are quite wide open and filled with enemies, and the frame rate keeps up at nearly 60fps. There are upgrades to be found for your weapons and bosses to fight too. Like I say it looks like a 7 because it's an impressive effort (did anyone SERIOUSLY expect to see an FPS on WiiWare?) but shows that there is potential for something even better. (Oh, and there's obviously Wi-Fi stuff too, though I've yet to try it)
I love Metal Slug 2 despite the slowdown, and would even get just this one on VC even though I have the anthology. However, I'm actually rubbish at it, and need either infinite credits or a checkpoint/save system to get through. What do you get in the VC version? I'm guessing 3 credits, but that's not enough for me.
Road Rash 2, RC Pro AM 2, Top Gear Rally, World Driver Championship, Ridge Racer 64, Micro Machines, F1 World Grand Prix 2, Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer, Diddy Kong Racing, Beetle Adventure Racing...
I was hoping that my favourite retro mag and website would mention one another, but I didn't realize Damo had already written for them. Turns out he did their 'Making of StarFox' article way back. It's a good 'un too (it's compiled in Vol.1 of the Retro Gamer collection 'bookazine'; get it!). Anyway, I'll be popping into town to pick this baby up tomorrow. Good stuff.
Good list. I've played Last Blade and I too thought the visuals were beautiful, and of course it's fun too. Strange that it doesn't get mentioned as often as some of the other fighters. Another Neo Geo game I enjoyed was Shock Troopers, a good alternative to Metal Slug (though Metal Slug 2 is my favourite Neo Geo game overall).
Us europeans will just have to make sure we actually buy this game when it comes out (on the day of release if possible; save those Wii points!). Then if it's a hit and there's demand for it, it's certain to be published in the states by someone. Heck, if it's a Geometry Wars sized hit then Nintendo may even publish it themselves.
Excellent! I was wandering if they'd ever make new games for the old consoles with the VC, but didn't expect it to actually happen. It'll be even cooler if it goes for 500 points.
I'd like to see new SNES games too (but would they be allowed to use that Sony sound chip?). Developers in the 16bit era were really ambitious; always pushing the boundaries of what you could achieve with sprites, and it would be interesting to see if a modern developer could push the hardware even further (SuperFX chip would be cheating, but it'd be nice to see that again too).
Did they ever actually advertise the Virtual Console on TV? I remember seeing an ad for the photo channel, so surely they could show a dad playing Super Mario Bros. or something (until I got my N64, my parents played games almost as much as me, though it was mostly Mario or Sonic).
Yahoo! I had Alex Kidd built in on my Master System 2 as a kid. I don't think I got past the first couple of levels, and wasn't keen on the rock, paper, scissors (or is that paper, scissors, stone?) but I loved the game anyway. Somehow I've been able to hum the first few notes of the title theme in the many years since I last played it, probably because I used to sing it as a song: 'Alex the kid, Alex the kid...'
Anyhoo, I think we should forgive Ninty for the horrible past week, for now at least.
They'd better give us something pretty bloody good next week. Hmm...
How about the 'surprise' arrival of the Amiga on the VC, with Cannon Fodder & Secret of Monkey Island to launch it. Plus, Alex Kidd (we haven't had any Master System games since the first two), Road Rash 2 (When are we gonna see EA games on VC anyway) and if I'm being 'greedy,' how about an N64 game for good measure? I fancy a bit of The New Tetris, please (4 player tetris + Neil Voss soundtrack = fungasm).
I think that would suffice for me to forget about this (weak) week. What would it take for you to forgive them?
Doesn't Smash Bros. Brawl have a music track from Metal Gear Solid 4, a PS3 game? Nintendo didn't seem to mind doing that, though Snake has to use explosives instead of guns.
I think it's more likely that they're uncomfortable with the exploding Hitler head. But then, what about Splatterhouse?
I'm sure Sega will get round to adding some Mega CD games eventually.
As for Saturn games, I don't think they'd object to releasing them on Wii discs, hopefully as budget priced compilations. Could happen if there's enough demand, though it might end as a Japan only limited quantity thing. I would've thought the Wii could handle emulating the Saturn as the GC Sonic Gems collection included Sonic R which I'm sure was a Saturn game. I guess they wouldn't fit on the Wii system memory, but then if they were on CD's originally is there any reason why the files should be bigger than a TurboGrafx CD game?
I haven't been too keen on this so far. The controls somehow don't feel as responsive as Metal Slug or Mario, the music is annoying and although the graphics are well drawn, the character designs are instantly forgettable. I just feel that what seem to be the two main gameplay elements, platforming and brawling are weak, and when mixed together still don't make a satisfying experience.
I wasn't too optimistic that games from hardware pre-dating the NES would hold up well today, but I can't believe how great this game is. The fighters are surprisingly well animated and when a hit connects it's really satisfying. I'm hardly an expert in fighting games, but IK feels like the most realistic I've played. Werdy, I think you're absolutely right about knowing what attack to use depending on the distance from your opponent. It's a bit of a nuisance when your fighter is facing the wrong way, but I need to practice the controls more (I currently use a reverse crouching punch to turn round). The earlier 'Way of the Exploding Fist' looks similar, is that good too?
Comments 501
Re: Review: Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Wii)
So this is just as good as Twilight Princess, right?
Re: Review: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)
Though it may not be the best Zelda (I'd put it at 4th or 5th), TP is still in a class way above most other videogames. I'd give it 5 out of 5 (or 9 out of 10 on this site).
Re: Reggie Wants Your Dream Nintendo Franchise/Developer Pairings
Buy the rights to the Great Giana Sisters, and then give them a cameo in the next Mario & Luigi game.
Re: Reggie Wants Your Dream Nintendo Franchise/Developer Pairings
This could be controversial, but how about Arika doing a hybrid of their Endless Ocean games, and Metroid?
Samus could use a suit adapted for exploring (and light enough to actually swim in) a landscape that exists mostly beaneath a planet wide ocean. If neccessary, there are plenty of ways you could incorporate on foot sections (small islands, air filled caves, maybe even something along the lines of the Gungan city in Star Wars Episode 1, minus the Gungans that is).
Perhaps her ship might even double up as a sub?
Re: Reggie Wants Your Dream Nintendo Franchise/Developer Pairings
Nintendo EAD Tokyo - Sonic the Hedgehog (Wii)
Intelligent Systems - Balloon Kid (DS)
Amusement Vision - Mach Rider (Wii)
Treasure - StarFox (Wii)
Camelot - Mario Tennis (Wii & DS)
Namco - Pokemon (real time fighting) (Wii)
Noise - Custom Robo Adventure (DS) and Custom Robo Stadium (either as WiiWare, a channel sent from the DS cartridge to your Wii, or a Wii disc if need be)
iNiS - Elite Beat Agents (Wii and/or DS)
Platinum games - Urban Champion
Free Radical - Original IP (in the spirit of Timesplitters) (Wii)
Valve - (Original IP)
Re: Wii Is "Fool's Gold"
Okay, so I checked and I have 64 Wii discs, of which 23 were published by Nintendo.
Now, here's a quick list of ten 3rd party games I own that are not only very good, but also offer unique gameplay that (currently) can't be done on the HD consoles (and no ports!):
SSX Blur
Elebits (Eledees in Europe)
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
Zack & Wiki
No More Heroes
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
Boom Blox
Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip
House of the Dead: Overkill
Madworld
So you see, if you look hard enough, there ARE Wiisons to be cheerful!
Re: UK Games Rating System To Get Simpler
I actually thought that the BBFC would have taken over if anything. You'd think their symbols would be more widely recognised and familiar to parents buying games for their kids (Though plenty still seem to be oblivious to the very concept of age ratings).
Re: Wii Is "Fool's Gold"
I've got nearly 60 disc based Wii games now, and even more VC & WiiWare games. I know that's a bit much, but they're all decently reviewed games that interested me. While they're not all essential, most are definitely worth playing if you consider yourself a videogames enthusiast (or 'hardcore gamer' if you prefer).
As I see it, there are four main types of gamers that own a Wii: Well, of course there are the new 'casual' gamers we never hear the end of. Then, the Nintendo fans that stayed loyal throughout the 'dark days' of the N64 and Gamecube. Second hand Wii's are likely to come from what I call 'the Playstation Generation' (I know that, like the Wii and the NES before it, the PS was important for greatly expanding the market, but boy, they don't like 2D do they?). They're much happier playing their HD bald space marine simulators. Lastly,we have the dying breed of the unbiased enthusiast of all things videogamey.
Re: Miyamoto Borking Super Mario Galaxy 2's Story
One of the best examples of videogame storytelling I can think of is Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Robotniks' manipulation of Knuckles, and the various appearences of the Death Egg; It's about as minimal as storytelling gets, yet it helps to engage you in the gameplay for the duration. If you've played it (especially with S3 & S&K combined) you'll know what I mean.
Re: Molyneux: Nintendo Made Rare Too Secretive
It'd be cool if all the talent that left Rare (Stamper bros, Martin Hollis, David Doak etc) got together and formed a new company. They could call it something like, oh I don't know...Ultimate Play The Game?
...Oh dear, seems Microsoft owns that too.
Re: Super Smash Bros. Available on VC This Friday
Well, I think we can all agree that ANOTHER N64 GAME, whatever it is, is a GOOD THING. I just hope there are some (decent) third party N64 games on the way.
Re: Super Smash Bros. Available on VC This Friday
The gameplay is still as accessible and fun as it ever was, and that's surely what counts.
Sure, it's a little bare bones next to its' sequels, but what's here is good (It has Kirby, Link and Captain Falcon, the characters I use most in ALL Smash games) and graphically, well...it was a bit ugly (or rather, simplistic) looking when it came out, but for good reason (See also: F-Zero X).
Re: Super Smash Bros. Available on VC This Friday
As generous as they were with the extra content in the Smash Bros. sequels, the actual fighting has never been as satisfying as in the original. The random chaos of Melee & Brawl is great, but sometimes you just want to go into the options, turn things off and take it back to basics; a pure battle of skills.
The brilliance of Smash Bros. is that everyone can use the attacks (they're mapped to single buttons instead of complex combinations), but it's how, when and where you use them that counts.
Also, I used Kirby all the time, whereas I mostly use Link in Melee & Brawl.
Anyhoo, call me greedy, but I WAS in the mood for another VCA game.
Re: Nintendo Download: Final Fantasy, Even More Art, and Animal Crossing Apps (EU)
Oh well, I bought StarForce instead. It's not BAD, just very, very OLD. Fingers crossed for Star Blade (is that it?) next week; looks cool.
And if Monkey Island is coming, then maybe, just MAYBE we can pray for the Star Wars arcade game (with pointer support!).
Re: New Wii Zelda Artwork Leaked?
Looks like it'll be a direct sequel to Twilight Princess (in terms of plot & setting, if not gameplay).
I'm curious to see what happened to OOT & MM's Link when he grew up properly (without time travel). We saw his GRAVE in TP, and it was implied that swordmaster spirit thingy that taught you new moves was his ghost, but how about a new adventure? Maybe as an (episodic?) WiiWare game using the N64 graphics?
By the way, could someone refresh my memory and tell me if the end of TP showed Link putting the Master Sword back in its' pedestal? Though I guess there's nothing to stop him going back to grab it again.
Re: Nintendo Download: Final Fantasy, Even More Art, and Animal Crossing Apps (EU)
The VC is the Nintendo download service I'm most interested in, yet it seems to be getting the least focus recently.
At this rate, it wouldn't surprise me if they forgot about the Hanabi Festival this year.
Re: Metroid: Other M
If Samus is going to talk in this, I hope they at least keep her dialogue minimal (Like Clint Eastwood, more Snake Plisskin than Solid Snake).
One of the reasons I think the silent protagonist is so effective in videogames is because the less you KNOW about a character, the easier it is to BECOME the character, and the less personality they have, the more of your own you can project on to them. Whether expressing yourself out loud or just in thought, it can be far more involving and satisfying than watching your character think, speak and act for you in cutscenes.
When playing a game with NPC's we expect them to guide us and basically tell us what to do through their dialogue, but there's little more annoying than being told what to do by OUR character (with the exception of Guybrush Threepwood's common sense based refusals).
To borrow and drastically alter a quote from Batman Begins: It should not be a script, but the player that defines a videogame character.
This is what makes Link one of the greatest characters in videogames, along with his simple look and humble roots that makes the 'zero to hero' journey all the more satisfying (and Little Mac too!).
Re: Exclusive Red Steel 2 footage
Is this REALLY real-time? I mean, GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY!
Finally, third parties are making Wii games with Wii graphics. Who woulda thunk it? Shame Factor 5 never got a stab (assuming they're really dead).
Re: Sin & Punishment 2 E3 Trailer
@Damo: My thoughts exactly. I'm sure it will be awesome, but by Treasure's standards I have to say the visuals look a little bland.
Re: Tales Of Monkey Island coming to WiiWare
Cool, but what I REALLY want is the Amiga version of SOMI, or failing that I guess the Sega CD version will do.
"I got this scar on my face during a mighty struggle"
...
Re: Review: Punch-Out!! (Wii)
42-55 (40 KO)
"Join the Nintendo Fun...I mean Club Nintendo today, Mac"
I know I shouldn't really compare the two, but I think as a single player game Punch-Out!! is more fun than Fight Night (rounds 2&3 being the ones I've played), but EA's series takes the cake for multiplayer. I don't really think Punch-Out!! should have points knocked off for it's weaker head-to-head mode though; like Smash Bros. Brawl (with its' overlong adventure and dodgy online modes) the developers were a little TOO genereous if anything. One Wii remote in the NES position is all you need for this game, along with blood, sweat...and chocolate!
Re: Review: Punch-Out!! (Wii)
42-53 (40 KO)
"Dance like a fly, bite like a mosquito."
Great game, and a good example of Nintendo's 'easy to learn, difficult to master' styles of gameplay. It can be very tough, but it's always fun and has that 'just on more go' addictiveness going for it. I'm currently trying to beat Don Flamenco in Title Defense, and I'm still determined because I KNOW I can beat him...eventually.
Remember:"A comeback is like a YoYo; you might go down, but you'll come right back up again... And you may end up walking the dog."
Re: Nintendo Download: Crystal Defenders R2, Penguins & Friends, PiCOPiCT and Pop Superstar
I would like to see some more VC Arcade games, like one of the original Punch-Out!! games perhaps. Nintendo might feel that releasing them alongside the new Wii game would negatively affect sales of one or the other, but personally I'm so hyped about it that I'll snap up any Punch-Out!! related tat you throw at me.
Anyway, neither WiiWare game gets my points this time.
Re: Nintendo Has No European ExciteBots Plans
"Fans of the super-groomed tree sacrilege must now tremble"
Sounds like a quote from a Zero Wing/Yoshi's Story hybrid.
Maybe it's sold poorly because it just came out of nowhere, and to most non-Nintendo fans or new gamers it probably doesn't look very appealing.
Punch-Out!! should do well because it has an excellent advertising campaign for a 'lesser' Nintendo brand game (ie not Mario or Zelda), along with the nostalgia driven hype and good reviews. It won't match Wii Fit, Brain Training, Mario Kart or even Smash Bros. in sales, but I'd be surprised if it 'flops.'
Most loyal Nintendo fans (like those who had the N64 & 'Cube) would buy ExciteBots, but perhaps Nintendo feel that's not enough to justify bringing over something they can't sell to their 'new' audience.
Re: Some Red Steel 2 Sword Worries Squashed
Aside from running out of ammo, why would you use a sword if you have a gun anyway? Perhaps for stealthy kills if you lack a silencer, but if players don't need to rely on the sword and it's no longer integral to the game, won't the name 'Red Steel' become redundant?
Re: Punch-Out!! Tourney Now Officially Worth Competing In
What about the jogging bottoms? Oh well...
For the less "fortunate" of us, I just found these.
Re: Watch Contra Re-Birth In Action
@Objection_Blaster & Panda: FOR GREAT JUSTICE!
Oh, and don't forget your code, Konami.
Re: Watch Contra Re-Birth In Action
Yes, yes, yes, YES!!
LET'S ATTACK AGGRESSIVELY until they bring this over our respective ponds.
In the meantime, as part of the Hanabi Festival (Should we get one this year) could Ninty give us the US version of NES Contra, 480p/60hz and all? They did so with Ninja Gaiden, and I wouldn't mind paying the extra 100 points. They could also give us the arcade version too now that the VCA has been added.
Anyway, please hurry with the translation Konami, don't worry too much about any Engrish that might get in, we won't mind
The sooner we get this baby LOCKED AND LOADED, the sooner we can LET'S PARTY!
(Can't wait to Spreader get!)
Re: EU WiiWare Update: Beer Pong and Snowboard Riot
How about combining two of the worst WiiWare games to make something more interesting?
BEER SPOGS: Designated Driver
...or maybe not
Re: EU WiiWare Update: Beer Pong and Snowboard Riot
I don't believe it! BEER PONG!
Are we ever gonna see any of High Voltage's games over here? I'd like to play Gyrostarr. At least The Conduit is being published by Sega so it has a better chance.
Re: EU WiiWare Update: Onslaught and Pop-Up Pirate!
I thought the graphics were nice at times in Red Steel, though it looked better in screenshots, while I'd say the opposite is true for Onslaught.
Anyway, it's nearly 4am where I am, and it's House of the Dead: Overkill I'm really looking forward to today after some sleep (it IS out today, right? Maybe Deadly Creatures too?). But Onslaught is a nice surprise, and if you've got points to spare, I say give it a whirl.
Zzzzz...
Re: EU WiiWare Update: Onslaught and Pop-Up Pirate!
If you don't mind me answering too, I found Red Steel's controls horrible. Aiming was fine, but the turning was so slow that if an enemy was out of sight (ie: behind you) then you were doomed. In Onslaught you can make the turning much faster in the options screen, though as I said it doesn't feel as good as the advanced settings on MP3, COD5 and MOHH2. Still, the nature of the level designs and enemy placement I've seen (plus squadmates that watch your back) indicate that the controls are sufficient for this game.
@Objection Blaster
The Nintendaan vids seem to suggest there are 13 missions if I saw correctly, and assuming the number and content of missions in solo and co-op modes are mutual. From what I've seen there are different objectives, though they tend to be variants on "shoot all the bugs." There could be surprises in store later on for all I know. I expect the real fun will come from playing the later missions on a higher difficulty and seeing how you rank online.
@Longtimegamer-yes, the voices are repetitive and annoying, and the music's not much better.
Re: EU WiiWare Update: Onslaught and Pop-Up Pirate!
I'm only predicting what score it'll get. No serious critic or even casual player would score a game after playing only a handful of levels. It may even be marked down for the types of multiplayer modes it lacks, though it was generous of Hudson to include any at all I think.
Re: EU WiiWare Update: Onslaught and Pop-Up Pirate!
I've just played the first 4 levels of Onslaught, and I'd say it's looking like a 7/10 at least. The controls aren't as good MP3, MOH:H2 or COD:WAW, but they're better than Red Steel at least. There are some interesting ideas here, such as different formations for your squad mates, and controls activated by a flick of the nunchuk, including throwing grenades, a laser whip and wiping bug guts off your visor! The environments are quite wide open and filled with enemies, and the frame rate keeps up at nearly 60fps. There are upgrades to be found for your weapons and bosses to fight too. Like I say it looks like a 7 because it's an impressive effort (did anyone SERIOUSLY expect to see an FPS on WiiWare?) but shows that there is potential for something even better. (Oh, and there's obviously Wi-Fi stuff too, though I've yet to try it)
Re: EU WiiWare Update: Lonpos
Weak. I hope this kinda thing doesn't last long into 2009.
Re: Metal Slug 2
I love Metal Slug 2 despite the slowdown, and would even get just this one on VC even though I have the anthology.
However, I'm actually rubbish at it, and need either infinite credits or a checkpoint/save system to get through. What do you get in the VC version? I'm guessing 3 credits, but that's not enough for me.
Re: Top 10 Racing Games We Want To Come To The Virtual Console
Road Rash 2, RC Pro AM 2, Top Gear Rally, World Driver Championship, Ridge Racer 64, Micro Machines, F1 World Grand Prix 2, Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer, Diddy Kong Racing, Beetle Adventure Racing...
Re: Retro Gamer Magazine Interview VC Reviews
...actually, I think I'll just send my butler to fetch a copy.
Re: Retro Gamer Magazine Interview VC Reviews
I was hoping that my favourite retro mag and website would mention one another, but I didn't realize Damo had already written for them. Turns out he did their 'Making of StarFox' article way back. It's a good 'un too (it's compiled in Vol.1 of the Retro Gamer collection 'bookazine'; get it!).
Anyway, I'll be popping into town to pick this baby up tomorrow. Good stuff.
Re: Top 10 Neo Geo Games We Want To Come To The Virtual Console
Good list. I've played Last Blade and I too thought the visuals were beautiful, and of course it's fun too. Strange that it doesn't get mentioned as often as some of the other fighters.
Another Neo Geo game I enjoyed was Shock Troopers, a good alternative to Metal Slug (though Metal Slug 2 is my favourite Neo Geo game overall).
Re: Eternity's Child - No Plans For A North American Release
Us europeans will just have to make sure we actually buy this game when it comes out (on the day of release if possible; save those Wii points!). Then if it's a hit and there's demand for it, it's certain to be published in the states by someone. Heck, if it's a Geometry Wars sized hit then Nintendo may even publish it themselves.
Re: Mega Man 9 Is Coming To WiiWare In Retro Style
Excellent! I was wandering if they'd ever make new games for the old consoles with the VC, but didn't expect it to actually happen. It'll be even cooler if it goes for 500 points.
I'd like to see new SNES games too (but would they be allowed to use that Sony sound chip?). Developers in the 16bit era were really ambitious; always pushing the boundaries of what you could achieve with sprites, and it would be interesting to see if a modern developer could push the hardware even further (SuperFX chip would be cheating, but it'd be nice to see that again too).
Re: Nintendo Looking To Push WiiWare Via TV Promotion
Did they ever actually advertise the Virtual Console on TV? I remember seeing an ad for the photo channel, so surely they could show a dad playing Super Mario Bros. or something (until I got my N64, my parents played games almost as much as me, though it was mostly Mario or Sonic).
Re: EU VC Releases - 13th June - The Last Ninja 2, Alex Kidd and more!
Yahoo!
I had Alex Kidd built in on my Master System 2 as a kid. I don't think I got past the first couple of levels, and wasn't keen on the rock, paper, scissors (or is that paper, scissors, stone?) but I loved the game anyway. Somehow I've been able to hum the first few notes of the title theme in the many years since I last played it, probably because I used to sing it as a song: 'Alex the kid, Alex the kid...'
Anyhoo, I think we should forgive Ninty for the horrible past week, for now at least.
Re: EU - 6th June - No Virtual Console Games!
They'd better give us something pretty bloody good next week. Hmm...
How about the 'surprise' arrival of the Amiga on the VC, with Cannon Fodder & Secret of Monkey Island to launch it. Plus, Alex Kidd (we haven't had any Master System games since the first two), Road Rash 2 (When are we gonna see EA games on VC anyway) and if I'm being 'greedy,' how about an N64 game for good measure? I fancy a bit of The New Tetris, please (4 player tetris + Neil Voss soundtrack = fungasm).
I think that would suffice for me to forget about this (weak) week. What would it take for you to forgive them?
Re: Bionic Commando NOT coming to the Virtual Console!
Doesn't Smash Bros. Brawl have a music track from Metal Gear Solid 4, a PS3 game? Nintendo didn't seem to mind doing that, though Snake has to use explosives instead of guns.
I think it's more likely that they're uncomfortable with the exploding Hitler head. But then, what about Splatterhouse?
Re: Gyrostarr
Like others have said this does look like a mashup of F-zero & Tempest type gameplay. Very good.
I think it'd possibly be cool too to bring back Mach Rider.
Re: Will Sega CD Support Ever Come To The Virtual Console?
I'm sure Sega will get round to adding some Mega CD games eventually.
As for Saturn games, I don't think they'd object to releasing them on Wii discs, hopefully as budget priced compilations. Could happen if there's enough demand, though it might end as a Japan only limited quantity thing. I would've thought the Wii could handle emulating the Saturn as the GC Sonic Gems collection included Sonic R which I'm sure was a Saturn game. I guess they wouldn't fit on the Wii system memory, but then if they were on CD's originally is there any reason why the files should be bigger than a TurboGrafx CD game?
Re: Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy
I haven't been too keen on this so far. The controls somehow don't feel as responsive as Metal Slug or Mario, the music is annoying and although the graphics are well drawn, the character designs are instantly forgettable. I just feel that what seem to be the two main gameplay elements, platforming and brawling are weak, and when mixed together still don't make a satisfying experience.
Re: International Karate
I wasn't too optimistic that games from hardware pre-dating the NES would hold up well today, but I can't believe how great this game is. The fighters are surprisingly well animated and when a hit connects it's really satisfying. I'm hardly an expert in fighting games, but IK feels like the most realistic I've played. Werdy, I think you're absolutely right about knowing what attack to use depending on the distance from your opponent. It's a bit of a nuisance when your fighter is facing the wrong way, but I need to practice the controls more (I currently use a reverse crouching punch to turn round). The earlier 'Way of the Exploding Fist' looks similar, is that good too?