lockelocke

Nice! I really like this guy's philosophy about game design, it matches up really nicely with Nintendo's dedication to "gameplay and not graphics".

I just got to Dr. Wiley's lab. "IT WAS WILEY ALL ALONG!" hahaha. I can't bring myself to stop playing, this game is too awesome to describe. Hardest level? I definitely wouldn't say Tornado Man, I mean the platforms take a little getting used to, but there isn't even a mini-boss so getting to the half-way point of the level is cake. Hornet Man was tougher for me, though the boss fight wasn't much to write home about, and the level was a bit short; still, that one ate some serious lives. Best music? Galaxy man is great, but wait til you get to the lab, there's some great tunes to be heard.

@Mayhem64.
First elephant is easy, for the 2nd elephant you gotta stand right next to it so the ball bounces over you, for the 3rd you need to get on that middle platform ASAP.

ALSO, does anyone know what the Roll costume does, or how to use it, I spent like all my screws and, well, nothing happened.

you guys don't see the sprite flicker? It usually happens when Mega Man gets damaged and there are a few other enemies on the screen. It looks dead-on.

you guys are tripping! I LOVE that uber-late 80's artwork!

BEWARE! the shirt is actually a minimum of about 35 with the cheapest shipping option.

[edit] 35.96 with economy shipping and tax

Any word on the question marked modes, or are those for the DLC??

@64DStyle
Got me there, =P
But there are obvious exceptions, especially with WiiWare

Popularity doesn't make the score

Great review!
I was kind of shocked by the difficulty of MM9, I'll totally agree that its more challenging than any of the original 8-bit installments, and I played through them all. 9 is a totally fair score, but I'd just like to add that for any die hard Mega Man fan, this game is a total perfect 10, spend money now!

Oh, and by the way, for anyone who's played through the robot bosses, is there an additional Wiley's lab area?

Nice, now we just need Crash N The Boyz, another sports game with the River City dudes.

Endless attack sounds cool, and the price is right

Just copped Mega Man 9 and played for about an hour. I feel like I'm five years old again. I LOVE the "legacy" setting, which is the ability to turn the sprite flicker on/off, it really puts me back in the early 90's. The music is dead-on, and all the classic mega man sounds are intact. The shop is a lot of fun, and its great cause it kind of levels the playing field if you're having trouble with a more difficult level, you can always buy a few lives to get you through it. Overall, the game is hella fun, is a top notch production, and to me is a perfect 10. Don't sleep on Mega Man 9!

I guess people will quit moaning about everything getting a 7, =P

You're first, Bubbleman! Be very afraid...

Getting...weak...need...Mega...man...9...now....

Nice! Glad to hear good things, this is a definite "hell yes" for me

Wow, "Sooner" is a term rarely seen in conjunction with Nintendo.

Ha! I just bought My Aquarium yesterday. What have I done!!!???

Just beat Paper Mario a few minutes ago. I gotta say, while it was a little easy, and I still favor SMRPG, the game is pure quality. Highly recommended if you're looking for a casual/relaxed 20 hour game.

I can't go to sleep without music playing or a movie going so this is perfect.

Really cool concept, I love music games that break the DDR/Guitar Hero Rhythm-Game mold. I'm glad there's an objective to each level, versus Electroplankton which was purely for the sake of making "music"

@Tony
LOL, true, true.
I think judging the value of a game by the number of levels it has fails to really get across how much playtime the game can dish out. I mean, SSR is by far my most played WiiWare title, more than DYC, easy, and I'm nearing lvl 100. With Gradius ReBirth featuring a score attack mode AND unlockable weapon sets, I think the price is more than reasonable, compared to a lot of the 1000 point titles available.

@link79
SSR has 2 levels, thank you very much =P

The score attack mode just won me over, I'm in.

Meh, I was kind of sold on this when it dropped in Europe last week or whenever, but now I can see it was just my eagerness to consume...I'll pass

I'm just about finished with Paper Mario now, and though its a great game, playing it just reminds me how incredible SMRPG was when it first dropped. Don't sleep on this classic, the hype is beyond due.

I love the idea of new releases with a retro styling, so I'm glad Konami has jumped on the bandwagon. Hopefully some other large publishers (Hudson, I'm looking in your direction) will bring something to the table.

The interfaces of this game look really intuitive. I'm a big puzzler fan, but the genre has become a bit stale since the 16 bit days; this is the first game I've seen of late that really pushes aside the staples of "fitting blocks together" or "blocks falling from top of screen to bottom." 800 is a little bit steep for what it is, but if the replay value is there, who can complain? Definatly waiting to read the review and any first impressions.

Nice, Final Soldier is an instant download.

Finally, the SNES RPG's that went missing in action for a couple years are now popping up on VC. I'm glad Square isn't applying their "we can make more money with a DS remake" mentality to this one.

@WarioFan
HAHA, word, I saw it on gamespot or something nearly a year back, figured it was out by now.

I want point n click, but I'm not sure about Strongbad. Anyone played the Wii version of Sam & Max? Is it any good?

I hope people will download, I think this has serious potential, as long as it can stay populated, but the standard multi-player will suffice.

The best piece of news is multiple boards (tables), didn't the original Alien Crush only have one board, but multiple rooms? Head to head will be a sick function, and, of course, online leaderboards are key. Hudson does WiiWare right.

LOL
"If this were a human relationship, it would be very unhealthy, and World of Goo would cry a lot." That is Priceless

Anyways, confirmed pricing of OVER 1000 POINTS! Might be a turn off for some, and definatly wasn't music to my ears, but if the game is retailing in Europe for about twice as much, and only one level added, I don't see a $20 pricetag being all that unreasonable.

@Rexy
I understand the big fixation on the ol SNES and NES classics, etc, but the real beauty of the VC, for me, is it gives us a chance to play a lot of widely unavailable Neo Geo, and TG- 16, not to mention now CD titles, and it delivers them for a reasonable price. Having developed a taste for the occult, the VC is a paycheck-saver.

@Rapadash
Haha, I wouldn't "fully expect" anything from NOA.

Anyways, I can definatly overlook the absense of SMRPG this week, though I don't know that there's anything here for me. I'm glad Nintendo is working to build their game libraries for TG and Neo Geo, as these are two consoles I never got to get down with as a child, though I'd like to see a little more support for the SMS, and an NA release of the C64 would be excellent.

@WiiLoveIt
I really think the volume of comments has to do with what's going on on each site. I agree that VC-reviews has been a generally deader site recently, but with the release of SMRPG, the site saw a lot of comments. I think over 200 in one day.

@Haruhiko
I feel you, man. It took me a long time to get into this game, even as a big fan of SMRPG. The oversimplified design (only two party members at a time in battle, no weapons to equip, the list goes on...) really turned me off at first. My first RPG was FF1, so 10 or 15 years later, this definately felt like a step back. But to the game's credit, I must admit that the longer I stick with the game, the more addictive it becomes. Just stick with it, maybe it will grow on you.

Also, I'm all for a complex RPG (I loved the over the top 'magic equipping' system from FF8), but a super complex RPG like, say, valkyrie profile, becomes just as unengaging to me as a super simple one. So, though I enjoyed SMRPG much more, I don't hate on Paper Mario for trying to appeal to a more general audience.

Man, I hate rhythm games.

I think the value of the DLC will really be determined by the replay value of the levels Taito is selling. If this game can keep me coming back to the same level (a la Star Soldier R), then five bucks for 2 levels is a bargain buy. If it's more of a LostWinds style "one time through and you've done it all" type thing, then I might sit out on dropping $20 bucks on the game. In either case, I don't mind a measly five bucks for the starter pack, the screenshots and the concept alone have sold me on that.

Ok, question.
I've got Soldier Blade, and love it. I've been playing Super Star Soldier on EMU and I'm really feeling it. Should I go for Super Star or Blazing Lazers? Is one a better game overall?

I'm there with you guys. To me, this game is just as good as Blade, if not better. Better weapon system, I feel like Soldier Blade's weapons are a bit over simplified.

Einhander, now there's a good SHMUP

@Mickeymac
Oh yes, in fact its so good, that sometimes in my spare time, I pick up a Broken Bat and hit the streets looking for Spiteful Crows to beat down.

@SuperMario
What I've discovered is that when you kill a wave, the next wave appears immedeatly. So, by focusing on killing every baddie the second you see one, you'll have more enemies down by the end of the level. If you intentionally lag, you'll notice you're still fighting dudes at the end of the level that you're used to seeing like half way through. That's how I nailed 998,000 anyways. Before I realized this, I was scoring 950,000 or 940,000 on average.

You're probably already doing this, but maybe you have some other method of racking up those 996,000 points.

@Virus
Sound fun. I really like the idea of more units you can send into the field (a la suicide bombers, who essentially became useless once I got my mages to a certain point). Maybe a Lego tank, or even just little stick guys you can send out to fight and slow the enemies from reaching your castle wall. That would add a strategical edge, cause you wouldn't want to be picking up and flinging your little blue-headed stick figures around. Anywho, in short, DLC is a no brainer for this game, especially considering the low price tag to buy; not sure if they even CAN add DLC to a game that was never meant to have any, but that would sick, no doubt.

meh, more marketable but forgettable material.

@matthew
24

@Corbie
HAHA, could be. Maybe I'm just trying to will the bitching away. Y'know, the whole positive thinking thing.

But, it's true, there will always be more games to bitch about. I've already seen Earthbound mentioned like five times on this post.

@Kevin
You'd be lucky if it still worked. I've been through three in the last 15 to 20 years. The one I'm working with now will play a game after like a half an hour of blowing into the cart, I end up just buying all the games I have on VC. 500 points is a small price to pay to put an end to the frustration.