@BlackFira - It's not about the size of the SNES VC library in comparison to the N64 VC library. It's about the diminutive size of the SNES VC library in comparison to the console's full library. Unlike the N64 (which has a very small console library anyway), the SNES is not hard to emulate. Yet we have only 32 titles available.
In comparison, the Genesis has 50 titles and the TurboGrafx has 49!
The last SNES title was also released in March, while we got a great N64 title back in May. Which is just sad when you consider that the SNES has 785 games in its library compared to the N64's 387. Seriously: WHERE ARE ALL THE SNES GAMES?!?
@KnucklesSonic8 sez... What's with all the fighting/Neo Geo Games lately? No N64 love at all!
Forget the N64. The N64 has been given quite a bit of attention by Nintendo. What about the SNES; a system with a rather massive library of high quality titles? I can't even remember when the system last saw a VC release! The TG-16, NeoGeo, and Sega Genesis (!) have all gotten more attention than the beloved SNES console.
@AtTheDriveIn92 - DYC is #1 on my list, followed by Toki Tori, Star Soldier R, and Lost Winds. It's a bit difficult to position those last two, but Star Soldier wins out due to more time spent on it despite the claustrophobic two levels.
I will never understand this infatuation with Gyrostarr. IMHO it is dull, repetitive, and annoyingly buggy. Which probably has a lot to do with it moving to the top of the list. (Burn! ) To each their own, I guess.
I honestly wish I understood the logic behind Blackjack being more popular than Toki Tori. In fact, there seems to be a general trend of garbage floating to the top. (The exception that proves the rule being DYC.)
@Dazza - Don't forget to use the occasional Blazing Star screenshot for failure. It is the grandpappy of all FAIL, after all. "Your skills are not enough!"
Wow. Just wow. What's with the vehemence, guys? World of Goo was going to be a retail game before making it to the WiiWare service. (As many fine folks around these parts informed me.) Everyone gave me the impression that they would have bought it in the store had it been released that way. Has that much really changed?
Another way to look at this is that you'll be able to purchase the game with a real box, manual, and disc. If you like collecting games like me, then you'll love this! If not, you'll be able to play the game cheaper through rental services like Gamefly. (Or whatever equivalent you have in your country.) No need to zip down to the nearest GAME or Tesco. Plus you'll have a game that's superior to what we Americans have, with more gameplay and features!
That being said, I hope RTL thinks long and hard on the price point. A lot of game publishers have made a grave error by taking $19.99 PS2 titles and attempting to sell them on the Wii for $29.99. That garbage isn't going to fly. If they want people to buy, they should appropriately price the game around €20 & ₤15 + VAT. None of this "€30 for a budget title" crud.
That's just my €0.02 worth, anyway. Sadly, it costs me more than three cents to give it to you.
@x.SuperMario.x - 745,000 for 2 min? That's a really good first score! You should be proud of yourself!
Watch this video if you want a few pointers on how to get awesome at the 2 minute mode. I've speckled some other useful links and tips over in the Star Soldier R review thread.
@KnucklesSonic8 - Sorry, but Pop just isn't that appealing to many players. You may like it, but a lot of people don't. I didn't pass on it, but I wish I had.
I totally agree about Toki Tori, though. That guy needs help! Hopefully he's sell enough copies to warrant a sequel (or at least more Two Tribes games ) regardless of his Top 10 standings.
So... who (besides me) is super-excited about Shante?
@Radretrogamer - Gyrostarr does not compare to DYC. DYC had upgrades to purchase, strategies to follow, and new characters to battle as you went along. It also ramped up the challenge at a fairly decent pace, making it easy to die if you failed in your strategies or simply didn't have a fast enough throwing arm.
Gyrostarr has none of that appeal. Every level plays the same: Grab the glowy white things. Maybe shoot some non-descript "bad guys". Or maybe even a wall. (Which suspiciously appears to be moving forward on the track?) The graphics are kind of cool, but there really isn't much else to it. The weapons feel pretty generic, the bad guys feel generic, the tracks feel generic, etc, etc, etc.
Just a whole lotta the same. Again and again and again.
@strade32 - Classic Controller and Nunchuk modes are also supported.
@SuperSonic1990 - Click the "home" button in the game, select "Operatons Manual", then click the link for the complete manual. There are instructions in there for configuring other controllers.
I just got this game, and I must say! You were WAY too kind to it, Corbie.
I'm on Level 8 already, and it's been total dulls-ville from the beginning. Tempest, it is not. Nor is it much of a shmup. And any feeling of speed the game CAN produce is lost by the fact that you're not moving that fast most of the time. Only the bonus levels are fast, and then they just sort of whip you around in an attempt to disorient you. (Honestly, a loop-de-loop would have been cool. Too bad no one thought of that.)
The other thing that throws off the sense of speed is the fact that nothing is glued to the track. Everything just slides along at its own pace, with no sense that it's actually moving. As a result, the track ends up being little more than eye-candy. Which is another frustrating aspect. WTF is up with the swirling clouds under the track? I understand they kind of look cool, but they don't fit with the rest of the graphics. All they end up doing is muddying up the screen so you have an even harder time seeing the poorly detailed enemies.
Don't even get me started on the motion controls. Why include them if they don't work? I mean, sure, your ship moves side to side. But it's all so clunky that it's absolutely useless as a control scheme. I couldn't even get past the first level. Which is pretty sad given the difficulty curve or lack thereof.
I hate being critical of a game, but I simply can't recommend this. It feels like the type of game you could download for free off of sourceforge or some-such. It has all the gameplay of an Atari 2600 game, with none of the low-resolution charm.
I'm starting to think that HVS might be on the right track with trying to create engines for the Wii. If they set themselves up in the same market as Id and Epic, they could do quite well for themselves by making other games look good. Which is good, because I'm not seeing any sign that they have the creative spark necessary to make a REALLY FUN game.
(Apologies to any HVS employees who might be reading this. Great Jeff Minter-eqse graphics, just really dull gameplay.)
@Corbie - HEY! That's my 3 letter high-score name! Get yer' own!
True story. When I first got on the internet, it was super-hard to get accounts with the username "ace". So instead I switched to "theace", thereby bypassing everyone who used that name as well as making my username a little more unique.
This is a PS2 game with a horrific sounding plot that was (for some odd reason) ported to WiiWare. The plot is this: Only 5 magical fish know the secret to why the magic whirlpool is filling up with lava. So you must ahem "fish the world" to find these fish. Frightened yet?
@KnucklesSonic8 - If you've already purchased every WiiWare title worth purchasing, then I congratulate you on an impressive amount of money invested in your gaming library!
@Cooldued59 - Maybe I'm getting old. But here in the states, people have either heard of Tetris Attack or Puzzle League. (Damn Pokemon. ) Practically no one has heard of Panel De Pon. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen Panel De Pon in action!
So perhaps it's just a regional thing. I hope you still understand my point, though?
Tim sez... The average 128KB MP3 is about a 1MB per minute.
The Wii supports AAC, which is the next generation after MP3s. Smaller, higher quality, and generally superior in every way. In addition, you can encode at lower bit rates with better quality when you have access to master tracks.
Does the Wii sound chip even have FM synthesis?
It doesn't need it. The Wii has an ARM-based sound processor capable of being programmed to simulate FM synthesis if so desired. Personally, I don't see why they'd bother when better technology already exists. With a custom tracker file and some fancy sound programming on the ARM, they could reproduce just about any piece in a very small amount of space.
Even if we go by your original figures, though, WiiWare titles still target ~40MB download size. If we give about 5MB to the game (which doesn't look like much anyway), that's still 35 tracks.
@Cooldued59 - If it came out first, why isn't Panel de Pon better known than Tetris Attack? The answer is, Panel de Pon was released in Japan and Tetris Attack was released in the West. Same thing.
@Peznaze - Actually the list comes from the Wii Shop channel. Click on "Popular Titles" sometime and you'll see how things are stacking up. And the Dr. Mario Demo does actually come from the Wii Shop channel. The game just sends a message with a link to the demo in the Wii Shop channel.
@XGen - You fully deserve your success! Way to go guys!
CEO Ed saz... I think some of the best games I've seen in recent memory are games that have been simple to learn, but difficult to master
That echos Nolan Bushnell's mantra that a good game "should take a minute to learn, and a lifetime to master". Even then, I believe he was echoing an ancient Go proverb.
@MisterSmith - No worries! Harmonix has decided to commit seppuku on the Wii with a really crappy PS2 port of Rock Band, and Activision appears to be supporting the GHIII controller in GHIV. So just stick to the Guitar Hero franchise and everything will remain hunky dory.
(Besides, Harmonix was just throwing a fit when it came to the Wii's GHIII controller. I mean, if the average person can activate the controller with a copy of GlovePIE and a few minutes of writing a script, what's Harmonix's excuse? The guitar is just a classic controller in a new case.)
@Corbie - I don't know why you keep referring to Ikaruga as a "brutally difficult" game? It definitely ramps up the difficulty as you go on, but it is never unfair. I've found that with a bit of practice, I get farther on each attempt. Soldier Blade, OTOH, has left me stuck at level 2. If I don't play the level EXACTLY correct, I don't get a shot at the boss. And even if I do, I may not have enough energy left to take him out!
Contrast that with Ikaruga where the powerups are practically delivered by the boss himself. (That black/white system is pure genius.) Oh, and I really need to get a copy of Super Aleste sometime. (aka Space Megaforce) Nearly anything by Compile has "win" written all over it. Sort of like how people view Treasure these days.
@Quimby - Yeah, I have. As I recall, Mars Matrix was a bullet-hell game, wasn't it? I don't think you'll find all that many Americans who find that sort of game appealing. There is certainly a fan base, but nowhere near as large as the base for traditional sh'mups. e.g. People rant and rave about Tigerheart Elexia. The best I can say for it is that it has infinite continues, so I can finish the game.
Edit: I take that back. I haven't played Mars Matrix. I think I was confusing it with another game. I'll have to obtain a copy at some point. None the less, my point still holds. Bullet hell style games do not appeal to the common player. The gold list I posted above is a list of games that can easily make your average person fall in love with the idea of sh'mups.
@shoemaker - Blazing Lazers is a very accessible sh'mup. (If you ever hear someone refer to "Gunhed", it's the same game.) It set the gold standard for shoot'em ups on the TG16, and directly lead to the creation of the Star Soldier series.
That being said, it's nowhere near as hard as the Star Soldier series. Power-ups practically rain from the heavens, allowing you to create a nearly invincible super-ship in no time flat. All it takes is a little bit of practice and you'll fall in love with sh'mups forever.
Here's my personal gold list of shoot'em ups that you might want to try:
1. Ikaruga (Goes without saying ) 2. Zero Gunner 2 3. Blazing Lazers 4. Titan Attacks
If you try any of those, you can never go wrong. Ikaruga can be purchased on XBox Live! or for the GameCube (expensive!) or imported for the Dreamcast. Zero Gunner 2 can only be imported for the Dreamcast. Blazing Lazers can be found on the Virtual Console or purchased for an old Turbografx-16. (Dreamcast games have a short-cut for importing that I will not discuss here. Go look it up if you're interested.) Titan Attacks is linked to above. It's for all computers.
I know that list is kind of small, but it's the shooters you simply CANNOT go wrong playing. I doubt you'll find anyone who disagrees.
@j0mb13 - Thanks for the input. You've restored my slowly waning faith in this title. I imagine that - like many sh'mups - it takes a small investment of time to get to the meat in the middle. I'm downloading the PC version to see what I think of that.
I have Soldier Blade. Only buy it if you like having your hindquarters handed to you on a silver platter. i.e. That game is HARD. I personally find Blazing Lazers to be much more rewarding. So you might want to consider how good you are at sh'mups, and make a choice between the two options depending on your skill level.
@DJ_Philanegro - Sorry about that. I didn't mean to get your hopes up! Zero Gunner is definitely a friggin' cool game. It was the game that convinced me to get a Dreamcast. Of course, I only found out AFTER I got a Dreamcast that the copy I saw demoed was an import...
After pondering the issue for a while, I think ballkirby1 may have hit the nail on the head. The game does not strike me as frantic enough. Usually, you want a multi-directional shooter to look like this
Still, I'm holding high hopes for Protothea. The graphics look great, and the engine is greatly improved over the PC version. With any luck it will be a lot more fun in person.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around "last-generation spaceship". What's that supposed to mean? Is it a twist on the "experimental prototype" formula of sh'mups? Instead of a hot, new fighter, you get to fly an old cargo ship with no weapons? (Err... wait. That's Firefly. ) Or is it just a poor translation that's supposed to say, "latest-generation spaceship"?
Personally, I'm rooting for the old-clunker theory. Much more interesting than the "Make your time!" theory. .
Probably because of the weak dollar. Toki Tori is produced by a European company.
Or possibly because Nintendo realized the market will bear that much. So they're charging it!
The good news about this is that it opens the door to discounts in differing regions. e.g. I completely think that Star Soldier R would have sold better in America if it was cheaper. Yet they didn't want to screw themselves out of great Japanese profits. So it's not a bad idea to adjust for the region.
@Tim & @JesteR - Well, you better start complaining about the price of a loaf of bread then. I mean, you guys are getting SCREWED having to pay $3.89-$4.66 for a load of bread! I mean, we Americans only pay the $2.50-$3.00 for the same loaf!
If you start comparing everything by exchange rate, it's going to get rather ridiculous rather fast. The exchange rate is only for international commerce. Don't confuse it with the local value of goods. Even if you could import a US Nintendo without much hassle, the cost of shipping it internationally would easily eat up any savings you might have realized. And Wii Points are intangible, so comparing about the possible import costs of intangible goods is just as silly.
You are not paying more for Nintendo stuff in Europe, in any form except for some transient balance sheet. It just looks like you are because the dollar is currently such a weak currency on the world stage.
I was hoping this would happen. Shantae has been looking for a new home for a while now. With Toki Tori finding its niche, it seems like as good of a time and platform as any to roll out a new version of Shantae.
Yay for WiiWare! Bringing some of history's greats back to life!
And those of you complaining about the price should just chill. Exchange Rate is the WRONG way to compute international pricing. The only purpose of Exchange Rate is to encourage more imports or exports between countries. It is an artificial number that the US is intentionally holding low to improve our economy through foreign trade. (We used to hold the dollar higher so that foreign imports would be cheaper for us.)
The number you want to be comparing is what's called "Purchasing Power". It's the true value of a currency related to local goods. A common index to compute this is the Big Mac Index. (Literally, the price of a McDonald's Big Mac around the world.) Using that index, we find that 20 EUR == 18.18 USD. And 14.99 GBP == 9.25 USD. Thus you guys are getting this stuff (relatively) cheaper than we are in the US. In fact, the low exchange rate on the USD means that we are overpaying for a lot of stuff you Europeans get at far more reasonable prices.
Actuallly, it adds strategy. You can either try to sit in a position and hope you stay, move slightly ahead and hope someone bumps you down far enough, or take a risk and go for the next plateau!
@Jupiter & @Boringman - Think of it this way: I absolutely suck at sh'mups. I mean, well and truly suck. But I still love 'em to death. Enough to have gotten 10th place in my region, and to have become lockelocke's "arch-nemesis". So if I can do it, so can you!
...
Not enough of a reason? Okay, how about this: Some of the prizes are plain-old drawings. You don't have to place on the leaderboard to win.
@Corbie - Just because of this game, I finally broke down and bought Soldier Blade from VC. (Too lazy to hook up my Dreamcast. ) Not as good as Blazing Lazers, but damn good anyway. There should be a law against how addictive sh'mups are.
Comments 551
Re: USA WiiWare Update: SPOGS Racing
@BlackFira - It's not about the size of the SNES VC library in comparison to the N64 VC library. It's about the diminutive size of the SNES VC library in comparison to the console's full library. Unlike the N64 (which has a very small console library anyway), the SNES is not hard to emulate. Yet we have only 32 titles available.
In comparison, the Genesis has 50 titles and the TurboGrafx has 49!
The last SNES title was also released in March, while we got a great N64 title back in May. Which is just sad when you consider that the SNES has 785 games in its library compared to the N64's 387. Seriously: WHERE ARE ALL THE SNES GAMES?!?
Re: USA WiiWare Update: SPOGS Racing
@KnucklesSonic8 sez... What's with all the fighting/Neo Geo Games lately? No N64 love at all!
Forget the N64. The N64 has been given quite a bit of attention by Nintendo. What about the SNES; a system with a rather massive library of high quality titles? I can't even remember when the system last saw a VC release! The TG-16, NeoGeo, and Sega Genesis (!) have all gotten more attention than the beloved SNES console.
Re: Plättchen Will Be Twisting And Turning In July
The game will be retailing for a muscular 1,500 Wii points
I've harped on the value:price ratio before, so I'll just say this: FAIL
Here's hoping they prove me wrong with an absolutely incredible title.
Re: Most Popular WiiWare Games in America (2nd July)
@AtTheDriveIn92 - DYC is #1 on my list, followed by Toki Tori, Star Soldier R, and Lost Winds. It's a bit difficult to position those last two, but Star Soldier wins out due to more time spent on it despite the claustrophobic two levels.
Re: Most Popular WiiWare Games in America (2nd July)
I will never understand this infatuation with Gyrostarr. IMHO it is dull, repetitive, and annoyingly buggy. Which probably has a lot to do with it moving to the top of the list. (Burn! ) To each their own, I guess.
Re: Most Popular WiiWare Games in America (2nd July)
I honestly wish I understood the logic behind Blackjack being more popular than Toki Tori. In fact, there seems to be a general trend of garbage floating to the top. (The exception that proves the rule being DYC.)
Re: More Mega Man 9 WiiWare News In The Latest Famitsu
@strade32 - That's not a scan of Nintendo Power's article. That's a scan of Famitsu. The scans of NP can be seen in a previous Megaman 9 article.
Or are you implying that Famitsu ripped off Nintendo Power? (Which is perfectly possible.)
Re: More Mega Man 9 WiiWare News In The Latest Famitsu
I don't know if it means anything, but those are the exact same screenshots as Nintendo Power carried.
Re: No WiiWare Games For Europe This Friday
@Dazza - Don't forget to use the occasional Blazing Star screenshot for failure. It is the grandpappy of all FAIL, after all. "Your skills are not enough!"
Re: World Of Goo Will Not Be Released On WiiWare In Europe!
Wow. Just wow. What's with the vehemence, guys? World of Goo was going to be a retail game before making it to the WiiWare service. (As many fine folks around these parts informed me.) Everyone gave me the impression that they would have bought it in the store had it been released that way. Has that much really changed?
Another way to look at this is that you'll be able to purchase the game with a real box, manual, and disc. If you like collecting games like me, then you'll love this! If not, you'll be able to play the game cheaper through rental services like Gamefly. (Or whatever equivalent you have in your country.) No need to zip down to the nearest GAME or Tesco. Plus you'll have a game that's superior to what we Americans have, with more gameplay and features!
That being said, I hope RTL thinks long and hard on the price point. A lot of game publishers have made a grave error by taking $19.99 PS2 titles and attempting to sell them on the Wii for $29.99. That garbage isn't going to fly. If they want people to buy, they should appropriately price the game around €20 & ₤15 + VAT. None of this "€30 for a budget title" crud.
That's just my €0.02 worth, anyway. Sadly, it costs me more than three cents to give it to you.
Re: Review: Gyrostarr
@x.SuperMario.x - 745,000 for 2 min? That's a really good first score! You should be proud of yourself!
Watch this video if you want a few pointers on how to get awesome at the 2 minute mode. I've speckled some other useful links and tips over in the Star Soldier R review thread.
Re: Most Popular WiiWare Games in North America (25th June)
@KnucklesSonic8 - Sorry, but Pop just isn't that appealing to many players. You may like it, but a lot of people don't. I didn't pass on it, but I wish I had.
I totally agree about Toki Tori, though. That guy needs help! Hopefully he's sell enough copies to warrant a sequel (or at least more Two Tribes games ) regardless of his Top 10 standings.
So... who (besides me) is super-excited about Shante?
Re: Review: Gyrostarr
@Radretrogamer - Gyrostarr does not compare to DYC. DYC had upgrades to purchase, strategies to follow, and new characters to battle as you went along. It also ramped up the challenge at a fairly decent pace, making it easy to die if you failed in your strategies or simply didn't have a fast enough throwing arm.
Gyrostarr has none of that appeal. Every level plays the same: Grab the glowy white things. Maybe shoot some non-descript "bad guys". Or maybe even a wall. (Which suspiciously appears to be moving forward on the track?) The graphics are kind of cool, but there really isn't much else to it. The weapons feel pretty generic, the bad guys feel generic, the tracks feel generic, etc, etc, etc.
Just a whole lotta the same. Again and again and again.
@strade32 - Classic Controller and Nunchuk modes are also supported.
@SuperSonic1990 - Click the "home" button in the game, select "Operatons Manual", then click the link for the complete manual. There are instructions in there for configuring other controllers.
Re: Review: Gyrostarr
I just got this game, and I must say! You were WAY too kind to it, Corbie.
I'm on Level 8 already, and it's been total dulls-ville from the beginning. Tempest, it is not. Nor is it much of a shmup. And any feeling of speed the game CAN produce is lost by the fact that you're not moving that fast most of the time. Only the bonus levels are fast, and then they just sort of whip you around in an attempt to disorient you. (Honestly, a loop-de-loop would have been cool. Too bad no one thought of that.)
The other thing that throws off the sense of speed is the fact that nothing is glued to the track. Everything just slides along at its own pace, with no sense that it's actually moving. As a result, the track ends up being little more than eye-candy. Which is another frustrating aspect. WTF is up with the swirling clouds under the track? I understand they kind of look cool, but they don't fit with the rest of the graphics. All they end up doing is muddying up the screen so you have an even harder time seeing the poorly detailed enemies.
Don't even get me started on the motion controls. Why include them if they don't work? I mean, sure, your ship moves side to side. But it's all so clunky that it's absolutely useless as a control scheme. I couldn't even get past the first level. Which is pretty sad given the difficulty curve or lack thereof.
I hate being critical of a game, but I simply can't recommend this. It feels like the type of game you could download for free off of sourceforge or some-such. It has all the gameplay of an Atari 2600 game, with none of the low-resolution charm.
I'm starting to think that HVS might be on the right track with trying to create engines for the Wii. If they set themselves up in the same market as Id and Epic, they could do quite well for themselves by making other games look good. Which is good, because I'm not seeing any sign that they have the creative spark necessary to make a REALLY FUN game.
(Apologies to any HVS employees who might be reading this. Great Jeff Minter-eqse graphics, just really dull gameplay.)
/Crosses fingers for Conduit
Re: Review: Gyrostarr
@Corbie - HEY! That's my 3 letter high-score name! Get yer' own!
True story. When I first got on the internet, it was super-hard to get accounts with the username "ace". So instead I switched to "theace", thereby bypassing everyone who used that name as well as making my username a little more unique.
Re: Cocoto Fishing Master
This is a PS2 game with a horrific sounding plot that was (for some odd reason) ported to WiiWare. The plot is this: Only 5 magical fish know the secret to why the magic whirlpool is filling up with lava. So you must ahem "fish the world" to find these fish. Frightened yet?
More info here
Re: USA WiiWare Update: My Pokemon Ranch
@KnucklesSonic8 - If you've already purchased every WiiWare title worth purchasing, then I congratulate you on an impressive amount of money invested in your gaming library!
Re: USA WiiWare Update: My Pokemon Ranch
Geez, people will complain about anything. I need to stop taking you guys so seriously.
Re: EU WiiWare Update: Actionloop Twist
@Cooldued59 - Maybe I'm getting old. But here in the states, people have either heard of Tetris Attack or Puzzle League. (Damn Pokemon. ) Practically no one has heard of Panel De Pon. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen Panel De Pon in action!
So perhaps it's just a regional thing. I hope you still understand my point, though?
Re: Yudo Announces Aero Guitar For WiiWare
Tim sez... The average 128KB MP3 is about a 1MB per minute.
The Wii supports AAC, which is the next generation after MP3s. Smaller, higher quality, and generally superior in every way. In addition, you can encode at lower bit rates with better quality when you have access to master tracks.
Does the Wii sound chip even have FM synthesis?
It doesn't need it. The Wii has an ARM-based sound processor capable of being programmed to simulate FM synthesis if so desired. Personally, I don't see why they'd bother when better technology already exists. With a custom tracker file and some fancy sound programming on the ARM, they could reproduce just about any piece in a very small amount of space.
Even if we go by your original figures, though, WiiWare titles still target ~40MB download size. If we give about 5MB to the game (which doesn't look like much anyway), that's still 35 tracks.
Re: EU WiiWare Update: Actionloop Twist
@Cooldued59 - If it came out first, why isn't Panel de Pon better known than Tetris Attack? The answer is, Panel de Pon was released in Japan and Tetris Attack was released in the West. Same thing.
Re: North American WiiWare Top 10
@Peznaze - Actually the list comes from the Wii Shop channel. Click on "Popular Titles" sometime and you'll see how things are stacking up. And the Dr. Mario Demo does actually come from the Wii Shop channel. The game just sends a message with a link to the demo in the Wii Shop channel.
@XGen - You fully deserve your success! Way to go guys!
Re: Ghostfire Games Interview - Helix
Great interview Corbie!
CEO Ed saz... I think some of the best games I've seen in recent memory are games that have been simple to learn, but difficult to master
That echos Nolan Bushnell's mantra that a good game "should take a minute to learn, and a lifetime to master". Even then, I believe he was echoing an ancient Go proverb.
Re: Yudo Announces Aero Guitar For WiiWare
@MisterSmith - No worries! Harmonix has decided to commit seppuku on the Wii with a really crappy PS2 port of Rock Band, and Activision appears to be supporting the GHIII controller in GHIV. So just stick to the Guitar Hero franchise and everything will remain hunky dory.
(Besides, Harmonix was just throwing a fit when it came to the Wii's GHIII controller. I mean, if the average person can activate the controller with a copy of GlovePIE and a few minutes of writing a script, what's Harmonix's excuse? The guitar is just a classic controller in a new case.)
Re: Protöthea
@Corbie - I don't know why you keep referring to Ikaruga as a "brutally difficult" game? It definitely ramps up the difficulty as you go on, but it is never unfair. I've found that with a bit of practice, I get farther on each attempt. Soldier Blade, OTOH, has left me stuck at level 2. If I don't play the level EXACTLY correct, I don't get a shot at the boss. And even if I do, I may not have enough energy left to take him out!
Contrast that with Ikaruga where the powerups are practically delivered by the boss himself. (That black/white system is pure genius.) Oh, and I really need to get a copy of Super Aleste sometime. (aka Space Megaforce) Nearly anything by Compile has "win" written all over it. Sort of like how people view Treasure these days.
Re: Protöthea
@Quimby - Yeah, I have. As I recall, Mars Matrix was a bullet-hell game, wasn't it? I don't think you'll find all that many Americans who find that sort of game appealing. There is certainly a fan base, but nowhere near as large as the base for traditional sh'mups. e.g. People rant and rave about Tigerheart Elexia. The best I can say for it is that it has infinite continues, so I can finish the game.
Edit: I take that back. I haven't played Mars Matrix. I think I was confusing it with another game. I'll have to obtain a copy at some point. None the less, my point still holds. Bullet hell style games do not appeal to the common player. The gold list I posted above is a list of games that can easily make your average person fall in love with the idea of sh'mups.
Re: Protöthea
SHoot'eM UP
Re: Protöthea
@shoemaker - Blazing Lazers is a very accessible sh'mup. (If you ever hear someone refer to "Gunhed", it's the same game.) It set the gold standard for shoot'em ups on the TG16, and directly lead to the creation of the Star Soldier series.
That being said, it's nowhere near as hard as the Star Soldier series. Power-ups practically rain from the heavens, allowing you to create a nearly invincible super-ship in no time flat. All it takes is a little bit of practice and you'll fall in love with sh'mups forever.
Here's my personal gold list of shoot'em ups that you might want to try:
1. Ikaruga (Goes without saying )
2. Zero Gunner 2
3. Blazing Lazers
4. Titan Attacks
If you try any of those, you can never go wrong. Ikaruga can be purchased on XBox Live! or for the GameCube (expensive!) or imported for the Dreamcast. Zero Gunner 2 can only be imported for the Dreamcast. Blazing Lazers can be found on the Virtual Console or purchased for an old Turbografx-16. (Dreamcast games have a short-cut for importing that I will not discuss here. Go look it up if you're interested.) Titan Attacks is linked to above. It's for all computers.
I know that list is kind of small, but it's the shooters you simply CANNOT go wrong playing. I doubt you'll find anyone who disagrees.
@j0mb13 - Thanks for the input. You've restored my slowly waning faith in this title. I imagine that - like many sh'mups - it takes a small investment of time to get to the meat in the middle. I'm downloading the PC version to see what I think of that.
Re: USA WiiWare Update: Protöthea And Toki Tori
@Kawaiipikachu - Is Toki Tori some kind of god to your guys ?
Why don't you play it and find out? Mwhahaha!!
Seriously. It's one of the best WiiWare games yet. (If not the best.)
Re: Protöthea
I have Soldier Blade. Only buy it if you like having your hindquarters handed to you on a silver platter. i.e. That game is HARD. I personally find Blazing Lazers to be much more rewarding. So you might want to consider how good you are at sh'mups, and make a choice between the two options depending on your skill level.
Re: Protöthea
@DJ_Philanegro - Sorry about that. I didn't mean to get your hopes up! Zero Gunner is definitely a friggin' cool game. It was the game that convinced me to get a Dreamcast. Of course, I only found out AFTER I got a Dreamcast that the copy I saw demoed was an import...
Re: Protöthea
After pondering the issue for a while, I think ballkirby1 may have hit the nail on the head. The game does not strike me as frantic enough. Usually, you want a multi-directional shooter to look like this
Still, I'm holding high hopes for Protothea. The graphics look great, and the engine is greatly improved over the PC version. With any luck it will be a lot more fun in person.
Re: USA WiiWare Update: Protöthea And Toki Tori
Does Protothea remind anyone else of Zero Gunner? Or is it just my imagination?
Re: Protothea
I'm still trying to wrap my head around "last-generation spaceship". What's that supposed to mean? Is it a twist on the "experimental prototype" formula of sh'mups? Instead of a hot, new fighter, you get to fly an old cargo ship with no weapons? (Err... wait. That's Firefly. ) Or is it just a poor translation that's supposed to say, "latest-generation spaceship"?
Personally, I'm rooting for the old-clunker theory. Much more interesting than the "Make your time!" theory. .
Re: Toki Tori Coming To America On Monday!
Probably because of the weak dollar. Toki Tori is produced by a European company.
Or possibly because Nintendo realized the market will bear that much. So they're charging it!
The good news about this is that it opens the door to discounts in differing regions. e.g. I completely think that Star Soldier R would have sold better in America if it was cheaper. Yet they didn't want to screw themselves out of great Japanese profits. So it's not a bad idea to adjust for the region.
Re: Toki Tori Coming To America On Monday!
@Tim & @JesteR - Well, you better start complaining about the price of a loaf of bread then. I mean, you guys are getting SCREWED having to pay $3.89-$4.66 for a load of bread! I mean, we Americans only pay the $2.50-$3.00 for the same loaf!
If you start comparing everything by exchange rate, it's going to get rather ridiculous rather fast. The exchange rate is only for international commerce. Don't confuse it with the local value of goods. Even if you could import a US Nintendo without much hassle, the cost of shipping it internationally would easily eat up any savings you might have realized. And Wii Points are intangible, so comparing about the possible import costs of intangible goods is just as silly.
You are not paying more for Nintendo stuff in Europe, in any form except for some transient balance sheet. It just looks like you are because the dollar is currently such a weak currency on the world stage.
Re: Are Shantae Fans Going To Finally Have Their Wish Granted?
I was hoping this would happen. Shantae has been looking for a new home for a while now. With Toki Tori finding its niche, it seems like as good of a time and platform as any to roll out a new version of Shantae.
Yay for WiiWare! Bringing some of history's greats back to life!
Re: Toki Tori Coming To America On Monday!
Toki Tori, Toki Tori, Toki Tori! Yay!
And those of you complaining about the price should just chill. Exchange Rate is the WRONG way to compute international pricing. The only purpose of Exchange Rate is to encourage more imports or exports between countries. It is an artificial number that the US is intentionally holding low to improve our economy through foreign trade. (We used to hold the dollar higher so that foreign imports would be cheaper for us.)
The number you want to be comparing is what's called "Purchasing Power". It's the true value of a currency related to local goods. A common index to compute this is the Big Mac Index. (Literally, the price of a McDonald's Big Mac around the world.) Using that index, we find that 20 EUR == 18.18 USD. And 14.99 GBP == 9.25 USD. Thus you guys are getting this stuff (relatively) cheaper than we are in the US. In fact, the low exchange rate on the USD means that we are overpaying for a lot of stuff you Europeans get at far more reasonable prices.
So quit yer bellyaching already!
Re: Review: Star Soldier R
@lockelocke - Holy cow, that's awesome! 998,200 will be hard to beat!
Once I get back from winning the 5 minute mode prize, that is...
Re: Star Soldier R Tournament - Are You Good Enough?
Actuallly, it adds strategy. You can either try to sit in a position and hope you stay, move slightly ahead and hope someone bumps you down far enough, or take a risk and go for the next plateau!
Re: Star Soldier R Tournament - Are You Good Enough?
Prizes will be awarded to #1, #10, and #16 places. Additionally, a number of "drawn" prizes will be awarded at random.
Re: Star Soldier R Tournament - Are You Good Enough?
My first 5 minute entry: 2,012,900
Munk is kicking my behind!
Re: Star Soldier R Tournament - Are You Good Enough?
@munk sez - sitting at 998,800 for 2 min
(bug eyed) And here I was celebrating the latest escalation with lockelocke. Man, I've got my work cut out for me...
Re: Star Soldier R Tournament - Are You Good Enough?
I got my registration email! Whoohoo! I'll see you guys on the five minute scoreboard. Good luck, all!
Re: Star Soldier R Tournament - Are You Good Enough?
@lockelocke - 16 positions behind? You wish! I count 7 positions ahead of you.
Re: Review: Star Soldier R
@lockelocke - Dang. You got me. The most I can get is 978,400. Guess I'll have to giv--
...
On second thought, never mind!
Re: Star Soldier R Tournament - Are You Good Enough?
@Jupiter & @Boringman - Think of it this way: I absolutely suck at sh'mups. I mean, well and truly suck. But I still love 'em to death. Enough to have gotten 10th place in my region, and to have become lockelocke's "arch-nemesis". So if I can do it, so can you!
...
Not enough of a reason? Okay, how about this: Some of the prizes are plain-old drawings. You don't have to place on the leaderboard to win.
Re: Star Soldier R Tournament - Are You Good Enough?
I have an arch-nemesis now? Nifty!
Re: Review: Star Soldier R
@lockelocke - I'm now at 957,100. That's 6 positions ahead of you, bub. Come and get me...
@Corbie - Just because of this game, I finally broke down and bought Soldier Blade from VC. (Too lazy to hook up my Dreamcast. ) Not as good as Blazing Lazers, but damn good anyway. There should be a law against how addictive sh'mups are.
Re: USA WiiWare Update: Dr Mario Online Rx And Family Table Tennis
Well, the good news is that Family Table Tennis appears to be priced right. Here's to pricing games at the ideal price the market will bear!