Impish game designer Shigeru Miyamoto is certainly cock-of-the-walk these days with his New Super Mario Bros. Wii and all the four-player chicanery it contains, but it's taken the guy twelve years to get this far. The elven legend has been talking aboutMario 64, and how that classic game once tried to do co-op.
"The screen was split and they went into the castle separately," said Miyamoto, talking about how Mario and Luigi were meant to play together. "When they meet in the corridor, I was incredibly happy! Then there was also the mode where the camera is fixed and we see Mario running away, steadily getting smaller and smaller.
"That was a remnant of an experiment we did where Mario and Luigi would run away from each other but you could still see them both. But we were unable to pull it off."
Only a fool could not love Luigi, so it's a shame that this never really worked out. It would have made capturing that annoying frigging rabbit about a hundred times easier, at any rate.
"Truckers Delight" is directed by Jérémie Perin who takes you on a ride full of rape and poop. It's all done in a 16-bit, Sega style game and at first glance, you would think this is a Paul Robertson animation. Really, you have no idea what you're about to watch.
Yes, the video is a few days old and Ha-Puken even posted it on the C Blogs. Deal with it. Check out the NSFW AT ALL video above and get ready for your eyes to explode.
Capcom has been working with FAB Starpoint on some new Mega Man merchandise so those of us in North America don't have to be so jealous of all the cool stuff they always get in Japan. Kramez over at Capcom-Unity has given us a peek at what to expect when the goods start hitting retailers and Capcom's online shop.
There's a messenger bag, a PSP case, a couple of chain wallets, a journal and a sketchbook to start things off. Some of it is looking pretty rad, and I wouldn't mind having that sketchbook in particular. You can check it all out in the gallery below. See anything you like?
What you are no doubt watching right now, as you're reading this, is in fact a playable game. PixelForce, which mainly consists of a single person named Eric Ruth, brought it upon themselves to de-make Left 4 Dead.
Ruth hopes to get this game out for our enjoyment as a free download around January 4. All five maps of all four campaigns plus the entire cast of Special Infected will be present, believe it or not.
Easily the best part of this demonstration is the Boomer having everything from his waist up blown to smithereens; it's going to be neat to see the other SI in low-res form, for sure.
All in all, it's looking like a cool little project. Admittedly, I think the zombie reaction times are a bit on the slow side, but otherwise I dug what I saw wholeheartedly.
By my definition, any time a new game in a series rejects technological advancements and changes in "mainstream" gaming trends, that's a rebirth. Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, Mega Man 9, and of course Konami's own ReBirth series on WiiWare are the best examples, while Bionic Commando Rearmed, TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled, and New Super Mario Bros Wii don't quite fit the bill.
Trying to win over new gamers with polygon-based graphics and techno remixes isn't what a rebirth is about. A true rebirth can't do anything to remind the player that they live in the age of the polygon. Instead, the game must transport the player backward, allowing them to feel like they've traveled ten, twenty, or even thirty years into the past. If you don't feel "born again" into a prior era of videogame history, then you're not playing a rebirth game.
This is the sort of thing I think about when I'm driving in my car or waiting for my bread to toast. I don't think about the economy, or my cholesterol level, or my receding hairline. I think about which videogames could best help me forget about all that "grown-up" garbage. Hit the jump for the games I think could best do the job.
[Note: I finished writing this post last week. The fact that more than a few of the games here can also be found on Jim's Ten classic games that didn't age well post is entirely coincidental.]
""I mean, can you imagine a new Viewtiful Joe game with Street Fighter III-quality graphics"
I could, but it would make me sad that would never ever happen, despite it being the best game ever if..."...
I have never played Phalanx. The SNES/Sharp X68000 computer game was never something I had the pleasure of playing. Beyond the fact that it's a space shooter I know absolutely nothing about it. Normally in this situation (it happens) I do some research on Wikipedia or another 100 percent reliable internet source and then come out talking like I knew it all along. However, I'm not going to ruin the greatest mystery in gaming just so I can impress you.
See that image up there? That is the actual box art for Phalanx. As a child at Toys R' Us I'd stand in the gaming aisle (or the cards in plastic pockets that you had to take up to the counter to get your games aisle) and stare at this box art and wonder WTF was going on here. Was it a brilliant marketing ploy? Was the game actually about a man with a banjo? Why did this box art exist? I never found out the answer, and I never want to for I fear the answer will be far too dissapointing. So I will never play the game.
Nor, getting to the point of the post, will I play the new WiiWare version of it. The company that created the Sharp X68000 version of the game, ZOOM Inc., are bringing that version to WiiWare in Japan for 500 points. No set release date yet. It will feature a few extra changes to the game design, but will indeed be a remake, not a reboot. Hopefully, this never makes it to the U.S. so I won't be tempted to ruin what will no doubt eventually become the ninth wonder of the world.
"@The Amazing Shenazin: ZAMN is already out on VC.
When I was younger, the cover always drew my attention but I never had the guts to actually rent the game. At least I had the guts to try Robot..."...
[Art Attack Friday is your weekly look at videogame fan art created by a talented artist.]
Back in February (which, if you'll recall, was the internet Stone Age), Hamza featured Andy Helms' Dude-A-Day project on this very column. Dude-A-Day is exactly what is sounds like: Andy wants to draw 365 Dudes in his distinctive art style. He should've wrapped up the whole project a month ago, so I figured it was time to check in with him. Unfortunately, he's a bit behind schedule: his most recent piece, characters from Fatal Fury and King of Fighters, are labeled as June 12 through 17.
"I generally only get to draw in my free time, sadly," writes Helms, adding that he's not sure when he's going to be finished. Seeing as how I had my heart set on on a dudely installment of Art Attack (and already had the header image made), I suppose it won't hurt to check out his newer stuff.
I've gone through Dude-A-Day's archives and pulled out the game-inspired Dudes, but there are examples of all levels of nerd-dom. It's times like these that I wish that Destructoid wasn't just a videogame blog. If you like Dudes, sci-fi movies, cultural ephemera, and quirky art with a three-color palette, it'd behoove you to give it a look. While Helms' Dudes are little more than sketches, I think he manages to capture something essential about each of his characters.
Anyway, if you dig on Helms' silly sense of humor and distinctive style, be sure to check out some of his other work—Fearless Griggs, Buttlord, and OMFE—on his site, Atomic Toy.
Not playing Modern Warfare 2? Well then, chances are high that you'd like Bit.Trip Beat. The game is pretty much the anti-Call of Duty, and it's one of my all time favorites. If you haven't played it yet, this update may be the perfect excuse.
I'm not sure of everything this update does, but the one thing I know for sure is that you no longer have to get a high score in a level to save your progress. That was one of the more controversial things about the original version of the game, and to be honest, I'm sort of sad to see it go. Good thing I have two Wii's now (don't ask why) so if I want to play the original Bit.Trip Beat, I can just boot up on the back up.
It's also rumored that this update makes the game easier overall, which I also have mixed feelings about. I suppose that if you are one of the many who are holding off on buying Bit.Trip Core and Bit.Trip Void until they've beaten the first game, then this patch may help get you over the hump.
Let's get the "I'll buy that for a dollar" quote out of the way. Right, now we can get on with the actual story.
Did you know that the classic arcade game Smash TV was in line for a remake? It was going to be a top-down shooter, just like the old days, but given a coat of modern paint with 3D graphics. Original Smash TV programmer Mark Turmell confirmed that the game was in development, but then it "hit the fan" with Midway and the project had to be scrapped.
Fear not, though, Smash TV fans. While Turmell did not state that the new game was still in the works, he voiced confidence that it "will rise again," thanks to Warner Brothers., the company that now owns Midway's soul. WB has the right, the means and, we hope, the desire to do it, so watch this space. Big money and big prizes may be yours to enjoy once again in the near future.
"Smash TV was the second ever XBLA game I bought, the first one being Geometry Wars (like everyone else). I'd love to see a remake.
Anybody remember The Grid? That should get an XBLA port, too. G..."...
Videogames are a constantly and rapidly evolving medium. While this means that amazing advances in gameplay and graphics consistently surprise us, it also means that those very same advances are destined to look rustic, quaint or simply atrocious in the short space of a few years. Just take the PlayStation era. The move from sprite-based gaming to 3D was hailed as a masterpiece, yet most of the PSOne "classics" of the day are regarded as rather sub-par now. Many of today's great-looking games run the risk of a similar fate.
To stand the test of time is a rare and special feat in the games industry. Some games have remained ageless due to impressive gameplay that nobody before or since has attempted, a simple graphical style that relies more on artistic beauty than graphical horsepower, or simply being damn good at what they do in ways that modern games can't even match.
That said, there are a fair few games looked back on fondly today that have not aged as well as everybody believes they have. They may have been groundbreaking, brilliant titles in their era, but going back to them now reveals a shockingly poor experience that one's rose-tinted specs have attempted to deny. These are the games we shall name and shame in this feature, so come with me as we look at a number of "classic" games that did not age well.
"It always pisses me off when people say new games suck and the old days were more fun. Of course there are classics I love (I still play FF7, Duke Nukem 3D, and even Ghouls 'N Ghosts once in a w..."...
"The Memory Card" is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.
How many of you reading this right now have attacked a chicken with your sword in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past? How many of you have watched your poor friend plummet to his or her death off the bottom of the screen while scaling the waterfall in the original Contra? I am assuming almost all of you. Heck, I am raising my hand as well. The look of shame on my face is indescribable.
But despite these evil actions, why is there nothing in these games that punishes you? Sure, the chickens may fight back a little or your real-life friend may punch you in the shoulder, but where are the moral implications for being a genuinely bad guy? Zelda still calls Link a hero despite his abuse of poultry. Lance still fights alongside Bill even though his seemingly best friend abandons him during a war.
After years of videogames basically letting players get away with being, for lack of a better term, giant douchebags, there is a sequence in classic role-playing game Chrono Trigger for the Super Nintendo that attempts to bring some form of consequence for making poor moral choices.
Hit the jump to relive a memorable, sobering moment that has no problem judging you for some of the less-than-noble acts you are guilty of committing.
"I love this game, but I'm stuck on it.
I was in that place in the clouds, but I got kicked out by the guy who is obviously Magus in disguise!
But what do I do now?"...
Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and even Danny Wood wouldn't buy this piece of crap. Sure, it's a piece of gaming history, but it's also just some glossy paper taped around a box.
What it's supposed to be is a prototype box for a New Kids on the Block NES game. No game. Just a box. The seller says that it was a prototype that was originally in the possession of a "major video game magazine." From the box, it seems like the Kids were hangin' tough with publisher Parker Brothers. Too bad PB fudged that one up. They could have been gazillionaires.
So get this: The box has been relisted on eBay. It just sold for over $500, says Siliconera, but the winner didn't pay. Imagine that. It's back up to over $50 now. I'd maybe drop $50 if the game was inside. Maybe. Only if it had The Right Stuff in it.
Any studio who can so brilliantly capture the essence of a retro game and bring it into the modern era -- without going overboard -- like Golgoth is doing with Toki is fine by me. In an interview with GameSetWatch, the developer explains what it was like to tackle such a project, which is a good read in and of itself.
More interesting to me, however, was the mention of Golgoth's next game. On the quest to find Toki's license holder, the studio was offered to take a look at some Data East IPs from a Japanese company called G-mode. Sure enough, the developer signed an agreement to produce another game.
All we know is that it's A) a co-op platformer and B) an "old" Data East license. My initial reaction was that it must be Joe & Mac, and upon finding out that G-mode does indeed own the license to that game, I'm willing to bet that's the next project for Golgoth.
Joe & Mac was pretty good, even if I enjoyed the sequel Lost in the Tropics considerably more. Just thinking about what some of the old sprites would look like after these guys get their hands on them has got me all hot and bothered.
"joe and mac is the shit.
that is all.
I kind of hope they leave this one alone, I had thought this franchise might r.i.a. the a stands for awesome bitches."...
While these Zippo lighters won't top the Sega console versions we showed you earlier, they all still have me considering taking up smoking so that I may have an excuse to carry one of these around.
For my money, the Dig Dug one is the winner. I'm the biggest Dig Dug fan around. It looks fantastic, too. The Galaxian one, with its slick engraved surface, is no slouch either. These lighters were created by Banpresto in Japan. They're all limited edition releases, made to celebrate Pac-Man's 30th anniversary next year.
Like the Sega console lighters, you'd really need to be a fan of the games, as these will cost ¥8,400 ($93) when they're released in Japan.
[Editor's note: We're not just a (rad) news site -- we also publish opinions/editorials from our community & employees like this one, though be aware it may not jive with the opinions of Destructoid as a whole, or how our moms raised us. Want to post your own article in response? Publish it now on our community blogs.]
Some of you may already know this, but I hail from a place that is both Mexico and not Mexico at the same time: the newer of the Mexican lands, specifically, a town called Albuquerque. It is a place famous for hot air balloons, Bugs Bunny’s poor navigational choices, and…we named our minor league baseball team after an episode of The Simpsons.
The evidence is incontrovertible: Albuquerque, New Mexico is truly the greatest place on Earth.
But what’s this? A hidden layer of this great city that has long been forgotten? Indeed, what very few know about Albuquerque is that it has offered the single greatest contribution to the world of videogames. Without it, the industry’s landscape would be nothing more than a disfigured scarecrow standing in a field of crap.
Yes indeed, Albuquerque is the home of American Laser Games, creators of laserdisc lightgun games.
So, come on your pilgrimage, all true believers in gaming, as we visit the one true gaming mecca and pay tribute to its incredible contributions to our lives.
Oh Luigi's Mansion, you, much like you protagonist, are always seen as a second stringer in the world of Mario, despite your obvious charms and uniqueness. But just because you're a second fiddle with almost no hope of ever returning (New Play Control, maybe?) doesn't mean you aren't loved. BlazeHedgehog still loves you and to celebrate Halloween he's released his fan made Luigi's Mansion game, Luigi's Boo Hunt. Despite BlazeHedgehog's relentless self-deprecation it looks like he made something pretty cool.
You can check out the trailer below or download the game right here. I can tell you that I'm simply digging the remix of the Luigi's Mansion theme. I don't have time to play it right now, but if you do please leave us a comment and fill us in on if the action is any good.
Halloween is only a few days away, and with it comes gamers everywhere thinking about (and dressing like) some of the videogame characters that scare them the most. Pyramid Head, with his blood-soaked deformity and giant knife. Dr. Salvador from Resident Evil 4 and his deadly chainsaw and bag-covered face. Clock Tower’s demented Scissorman and those damned killer scissors.
For me, though, none of these characters come close to being as scary as the dreaded Phanto from Super Mario Bros. 2 for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Seriously. Look at him. Those dark, empty eyes. That creepy smile. The lack of a body. Phanto is like a digital nightmare slowly taking over my childhood memories of running through fields of flowers and dancing with baby deer in the rain.
But why is that? Why does a seemingly silly 8-bit character from a very family-friendly game scare me more than horribly satanic demons, chainsaw-wielding psychopaths, and giant devilish scissors?
Hit the jump for the reasons Phanto is the scariest videogame character of all time. But be warned: this feature is not for the faint of heart. Don’t blame me if you can’t sleep at night after reading it.
Fresh from the official PlayStation Twitter, it appears 3D Dot Game Heroes is definitely coming to North America. How do we know this? Well, because the tweet says:
"No need to import - 3D Dot Game Heroes for PS3 is DEFINITELY coming to NA! Spread the word, more to come."
They even broke out the caps lock on us. And everyone knows caps = serious business. Unfortunately, that was all they said, but it's great news nonetheless, albeit completely expected. We'll bring you the "more to come" part as it does so.
"If I remember correctly, the last game this site hyped up like this was scribblenauts and we all know how that turned out. It will be a great game no doubt, but can we please lay off the hype a ..."...
[Editor's Note: We're not just a (rad) news site -- we also publish opinions/editorials from our community & employees like this one, though be aware it may not jive the opinions of Destructoid as a whole, or how our moms raised us. This article is part of our Monthly Musing series: this month's theme is "nothing is sacred." Want to post your own article in response? Publish it now on our community blogs.] There are tons of great reasons to pay attention to Askiisoft's indie sidescrolling platformer Tower of Heaven: it's a well-designed and tightly focused game with interesting mechanics, a charming Game Boy color palette, and an absolutely killer chiptunes soundtrack. If you haven't played it yet, download it here—depending on your skill level, it won't take more than a few hours to complete.
But, then again, there are tons of well-designed games out there, and you can find chiptunes anywhere.
The real reason to check out Tower of Heaven is that, thanks to a truly inspired rules mechanic, it proves that nothing is sacred: not Shigeru Miyamoto, not your conception of a platform game, and not even God Himself.
Adorable "OMG Zelda" RPG 3D Dot Game Heroes features a cameo from legendary hole-digger Spelunker, and he seems quite excited to be in the game. From Software has been releasing a series of Japanese videos featuring Spelunker, where he tells us all about the retrotastic new game. He's talking in Moonspeak of course, but that doesn't matter. He's just fun to look at.
From Software is a studio that did a complete 180 in my estimation. When I playedNinja Blade, I honestly thought From was a load of crap, because I hadn't played such a derivative, unimaginative, mediocre game in ages. Then I played Demon's Souls from the same studio, and became utterly enchanted. With From having proven its prowess as an RPG developer, I have incredibly high hopes for 3D Dot Game Heroes.
It's out in Japan in a few weeks time. We're crossing our fingers that a Western release will be announced soon.
Normally we might skim over the music video above or save it for a Weekend Destructainment, but considering that just happened and we're all up in the listening to music anyway with dtunes, it's getting its own story. I've never heard of Pato Pooh or Adam Tensta, but their song Follow Me has a catchy, and somewhat chiptune sound to it, and their video is jam packed full of awesome retro gaming references.
I don't know how cool it is to rep "Stockholm City," but I do know it's cool to rep Mega Man, Super Mario Bros. 3, Ice Climbers, Star Fox and so many other retro games it's hard to count them all. It's also cool to lay down a line like "Blow in the cassette so mother-f*ckers know the games on." Except its not a cassette it's a cartridge. Maybe he's not so cool. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt though because the video has the Duck Hunt dog in a sideways baseball cap. Whether you like the song or not you have to give mad props to whoever put the video together.
[Editor's note: We're not just a (rad) news site -- we also publish opinions/editorials from our community & employees like this one, though be aware it may not jive with the opinions of Destructoid as a whole, or how our moms raised us. Want to post your own article in response? Publish it now on our community blogs.]
Shakespeare's Hamlet. Hitchcock's Vertigo. Van Gogh's Starry Nights. These are examples of the word masterpiece. They are icons in their respective art-forms, and their excellence is timeless. Their influence reaches far beyond the boundaries of the page, the screen, or the canvas, filling all who experience them with a sublime sense of wonderment and awe.
Gaming has its icons too. Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. Mario and Sonic. Master Chief and Chun-Li. These are staples of debate when discussing what makes a truly great videogame. A case could be made for any of these games and more to be defined as a masterpiece due to their popularity, success, or influence on the industry.
However, I'm writing this today to tell you that we've got it all wrong. There's only one game that deserves to sit at the head of the pantheon of gaming immortals. There's only one game who has so boldly defined the direction of gaming for decades to come. There's only one game that reaches outside the confines of its own medium to touch the hearts and lives of all those who experience it.
Created in 1983 by Bally/Midway, this transcendent work of gaming perfection is known as Journey, the arcade game.
I'm one of those guys that just looks odd smoking. I don't have the face for it or something. Likewise, I can't wear hats. But I might take up smoking anyway to have an excuse to carry around these sweet Sega-themed Zippo lighters.
Sega whores will get excited over anything. These Genesis and Saturn lighters certainly do the trick for me. The Zippo is the perfect shape to be a little flame-making Genesis. The Saturn was too square for that, but I appreciate that they decided to cast in the best controller ever made, the Saturn controller.
And a Sega whore you'd have to be to shell out the 10,500 ($114) for each lighter. Hey, I was whore enough to shell out $400 for the Saturn!
Fellow whores can order these from Net You starting November 6th.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not familiar with Nigoro's action-adventure Metroidvania La-Mulana or the MSX games (like Maze of Galious) to which it pays homage. (In brief, you have to guide a whip-wielding archaeologist through an expansive tomb). I am, however, familiar with Nicalis, the publisher that specializes in HD remakes of popular indie games. They're bringing La-Mulana to WiiWare (eventually), just like they did with Cave Story and Nifflas' Night Game—La-Mulana is in good company, at the very least.
In any case, developer Nigoro is hard at work giving the game a head-to-toe touch-up while maintaining the game's original, throwback aesthetic style (as you can see by the batch of new screenshots in the gallery). From what I gather, everything in La-Mulana was designed to be a reference to the MSX—a tricky legacy to maintain as they bring the game to a mainstream audience, to be sure, and a source of contention for some fans.
Despite some technical limitations (they're trying to figure out the best way to capture the game in motion on actual Wiiware, for example), Nigoro seem to be putting plenty of thought into the project: if you can piece the blog together (Nigoro are from Japan), you'll find really interesting discussions about how to maintain the original's difficulty while making it more accessible, or what to do with all the references to a computer very few owners are familiar with. If you're interested in indie development or game design, it's worth taking some time to poke around the La-Mulana blog.
Or, if you'd rather be visually stimulated, be sure to check out the screenshots in the gallery below. Since this is my first look at the game, I find the graphics pretty charming, even if they are being touched up for the console crowd.
Looking forward to Super Meat Boy? Then should been keeping up with the game on Twitter, where all the major Meat Boy news first goes public.
Here's a recap of the latest from Tweet Boy's meats, I mean, Meat Boy's tweets-
Now Super Meat Boy is planned to contain 24 characters, including the previously revealed Tim, Alien Hominid, and Commander Video. Newly announced playable characters include "retro" styled alternate versions of Meat Boy, taken directly from the game's previously announced retro-themed levels. As for total in-game levels, the current count is at 205. Also news is that if you score an "A" on a level, you unlock a "alternate" (meaning: hard-as-hell) version of said level. Large imposing saws seem to be a common theme amongst these alt-levels, as seen our gallery below.
Finally, we also got a look at the game's Aether-styled menu screen and a new Atari 2600 themed retro-level. Seeing gaming's mainstream past collide with the its indie present is a real giddy-time fun experience for me.
"You know who would make a good secret character? Fancy Pants Man. He guest stared as a secret character in one of the Shift games, so it's not as though he doesn't have experience in that field."...
The hopeless romantic in me sort of cringes at the above video as I'm pretty sure that no girl in the world really wants to be proposed to while sitting on a stool in front of a TV while playing Super Mario World, but the gamer in me is jumping for creative joy at the sight. Who knows, maybe this is the girl's wildest dream come true. Either way, you have to give him some points for creativity and the musical cue at the end when they kiss is adorable.
So this removes Super Mario World from the list of gaming ways you can propose. Has anyone's marriage proposal idea been crushed? Remember when you're arranging your gamer related marriage proposal that LittleBigPlanet has also been used before. This still leaves many options open. For instance, you could some how mod God of War so that the blood would spell out "would you marry me" as you ripped a man in half. Romance is so not dead.
In the golden years of arcade gaming, Sega ruled the school with their sit down coin-op arcade machines. Now, any tiny people living in your walls can relive the glory days with Kaiyodo's Taikan Game Collection. The set features 4" models of Space Harrier, Hang On, Out Run, and Thunder Blade, as well as a "mystery game" that turned out to be After Burner.
The models are made of PVC and come in a set of six—looks like you'll be getting a duplicate, which would make a great stocking stuffer when the collection ships in December. (Or you could just keep it for yourself since they're awesome.) In the meantime, you can check out more photos at Hobby Media, and pre-order the collection at NCSX for $48.90. At less than $10 a pop, that's not a bad deal.
Interesting sidenote: After Burner, Hang On, Out Run, and Space Harrier were all designed by Yu Suzuki, who would later go on to create Virtua Fighter and the cult favorite Shenmue series. Word is that Suzuki is still busy making racing titles for Sega, and, in case you'd rather play it than look at it, OutRun Online Arcade is available on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.
"Bad enough Hallmark has those tempting retro arcade ornaments...now I want me a mini Space Harrier! (Oh, and a full size one while we're at it...)"...
I don't know about you guys, but it's a slow day here at work. It's raining and cold here and, to be honest, I'd rather be at home with a mug of hot chocolate and a controller in my hand. A First World problem, to be sure, but what's a poor boy to do? Play awesome freeware indie games, of course.
Star Guard, a shooter by designer Sparky, has been making the rounds lately, and for good reason: it's an awesome Flash-based, stripped down (but stylish) 2D shooter/platformer for both Mac and PC. The story is that an evil wizard needs defeating, but it's cleverly presented through text overlays sprinkled throughout the game's nine levels. I particularly like the fact that you run into countless other space fighters duking it out with the enemy.
Given that you have infinite lives, the game isn't particularly difficult. Dying simply drops you in the latest checkpoint, ready to start over. The rub: the traps and mines don't reset after they're triggered, effectively allowing players to simply bulldoze their way through the game, blowing themselves up with abandon and respawning with a clear path. It's an odd design choice, but beating the game unlocks a Hard mode which may put Star Guard back into traditional shooter territory.
If you dig on run-and-guns, check out Star Guard: it's a well-designed and well-paced little game, and it's freeware to boot. You can download it here, and be sure to check out a speedrun up there. Sparky's site, Vacuum Flowers, also features some nifty browser-based games, my favorite beingThe Walls are not Cheese.
“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.
Last week was the first edition of a three-part Memory Card miniseries specifically focusing on amazing moments in videogame graphics over the years (I am calling it The Graphics Card). Last week’s entry featured my first “holy sh*t!” graphics memory from the Nintendo Entertainment System. This week, it’s time to move on to the 16-bit era -- more specifically, the Super Nintendo.
The Super NES is my favorite videogame console of all time, and it is home to more beautiful visual moments than I can even list. But, just like last week, this is an article on my first memory of being impressed by the graphics on a particular console, not the end-all-be-all, best graphics ever to grace the system. Thinking in these terms, one moment quickly came to mind.
The moment is in Super Castlevania IV and is one of only a handful of videogame moments that remind me of a specific, wonderful time in my childhood. Keep reading to find out the strange reason why. Hit the jump for Part 2 of The Graphics Card trilogy (of amazingness!).
You may not have heard, but Sega's got this new thing called PlaySEGA, which is a browser-based service that lets you play old Genesis games and such. To both promote and enhance that experience, they're now offering the thoroughly awesome (color choices and dumb logo aside) USB Saturn pad you see above.
You can try the service, free of charge, for up to 10 days. If you decide you like it and want to sign up for a three-month membership, the $14.95 you pay for that will also net you this worthy USB clone of the greatest controller ever. Of course, you could always just sign up, cancel your subscription after three months, and come away with the badass Japanese Saturn controller for only $15.
No word on whether this thing will work with your PS3 or 360, but I'd guess it probably will on PS3, as the DIY USB Saturn pads have been known to function pretty well. Probably not so much on 360, but hey, it works with a PC. And either way, you're only out fifteen bucks and you get to sample three months of great online games in the process. Sounds good to me, how about you?
"You know at first I thought this controller looked a bit shit, but now that I look at it again, it actually looks quite nice. It could do without the PLAY text above SEGA, though. I think I might..."...
Even if we all can't agree that games are art, we can definitely agree that games can inspire great art. I think Art Attack Friday proves this well every Friday. As part of the UK's Gamecity festival, the festival organizers commissioned three of their favorite games to be turned into minimalist works of art. 15 pixels to recreate some of the Gamecity organizer's favorite games sounds pretty challenging, but the creative minds at the design collective Alaskan Military School have come up with some great stuff. You can see the video for Street Fighter above, and below are their takes on Parappa and Noby Noby Boy.
David Surman, one of the event's organizers, had this to say about the works: "They each take one of our favourite games at GameCity HQ and translate them into a 15 pixel grid. It’s Hyper pixel minimalism! We realised that you can communicate the essence of great, iconic games with minimal visual information. I think this approach echoes the values of the festival, to take a sideways look at games, and foster a creative space."
I think they did a good job, and by good job I mean these are totally frickin' sweet. However, I must gripe a bit about calling Noby Noby Boy an icon of gaming. I would have totally called that one Worm and put different sound effects on it.
“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.
As a huge fan of retro games, I tell myself over and over again that fancy new graphics don’t really matter -- it’s the gameplay that really counts. A game with great gameplay and subpar graphics can still be considered good, but a game with terrible gameplay and amazing graphics more often than not is dismissed as a failure. Regardless of what is more important, graphics are obviously an integral part of the mainly visual medium of videogames. In fact, some of my favorite videogame moments of all time revolve around a game’s graphics.
Over the next three weeks of Memory Card articles, I will be focusing on three very specific moments from three different generations of videogame consoles that feature graphics that absolutely blow me away. These moments aren’t necessarily the best graphics each generation has to offer -- in fact, I don’t think that is the case at all -- but they are moments that hold a very special place in my heart. Each of these moments actually made me gasp out loud in awe the first time I witnessed them and helped me realize how strong, well-designed visuals could have just as much an emotional effect on me as a rich story or innovative gameplay.
The first week I will be talking about a moment from the 8-bit generation of videogames (Nintendo Entertainment System); next week will focus on the 16-bit era (Super Nintendo); and, finally, the third week will feature a graphical moment from the current generation of consoles (PlayStation 3).
For this week, the featured moment occurs in Mega Man 2 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. If you have read the title of this article -- and are a fan of the game -- you probably already know what moment I am talking about.
Hit the jump for Part 1 of the Memory Card Graphics Trilogy of Amazingness. Or as the cool kids are calling it: The Graphics Card!
Sega has always been ridiculously keen to exploit and whore out every franchise that's ever been popular, cramming them into remakes, re-releases and crossover games at the drop of a hat. However, one game Sega's never tried to resuscitate is Toejam & Earl. I always wondered why Sega won't pay tribute to the game and its classic characters, but it's recently been revealed that it's not a case of paying tribute, but a case of paying cash.
Responding to news that Toejam and Earl won't be appearing in the upcomingSonic and Sega All-Star Racing, game creator Greg Johnson revealed that it's because he owns the rights to the game, and Sega doesn't want to stump up the green and license the characters out. However, Jones did tease that a brand new game might eventually happen one day.
"I can't promise anything but I'll give it another try and see if I can get the homies at Sega to talk again on the phone," explains Johnson. "No promises, but I'll see what their interest level is. Hopefully they can see what amazing devoted fans TJ&E has. Hurray for the FUNK! Well if I get any news I'll come back and post it here. And I'll keep trying to get some new TJ&E game off the ground. No publisher has agreed to foot the bill yet, but never say never. The funky duo shall yet return."
Would you fancy another Toejam & Earl game? Register your desire here and let Sega know that the series still has its fans. In the meantime, be happy that TJ&E will be coming to XBLA.
"TJ&E was the 1st thing I bought on Virtual Console. It would be great to do a simple 3D remake with similar gameplay but amped up music & gfx for WiiWare."...
Arkedo, the studio behind Big Bang Mini and Nervous Brickdown, have come out with a new game called JUMP! for the Xbox Indie Games Channel. It’s a retro style platformer where you have to battle enemy crabs and destroy bombs planted all over the levels. The best part of JUMP!, to me anyway, is the pixilated art style. It’s absolutely fantastic and great to look at. JUMP! available now on the Indie Channel for 240 Points.
It’s interesting that Arkedo has jumped from DS development to the Indie Games channel. They could easily do Xbox Arcade games, but it seems like Arkedo is trying a little experiment with the Indie Channel. A very small team is shooting to make one game a month. First there was JUMP!, which took them 35 days to complete. Their next game is called SWAP! and should be out before the end of the month. Plus they have three more games in the works so we should be seeing a total of five new Arkedo games within the next four months.
Arkedo sees a lot of potential in the Indie Channel and hopefully it pays off for them. Check out the trailer above and download the demo for JUMP!. Give it a go and let us know what you think of it.
There's no shortage to the number of amazing things gamers do to express their love for the games that inspired them, and we bring you another one today courtesy of Capcom Unity. Created by Brazil resident Marcos Bessa for a competition called LusOlympics, you can see more pictures of it here and a full sized photo of the complete project in our gallery. Fun fact: he had never played the game. For shame, Marcos!
I miss my Legos -- I have built a few things with them, but never anything this epic. Have you ever taken on a game-related Lego project?
"Hi there!
First of all, many thanks for your comments! ;)
I just wanted to clarify that I'm not Brazilian! :D I'm Portuguese and the contest was held between a Portuguese and the Brazilian LUGs..."...
Brace yourself, Internet. The mere rumor of Climax developing a new 2.5D Rocket Knight game made you guys bananas (myself included), and now that said rumor has been verified as truth, I don't even know what to do.
1UP has got an exclusive preview of the tentatively titled Rocket Knight, which is due out in early 2010 on Xbox LIVE Arcade, PlayStation Network, and Steam. Besides looking gorgeous and exactly how I would envision a revival of the retro series, the new game has an interesting backstory as well.
Taking place 15 years after the last game, Sparkster has moved away from the kingdom of Zephyros. The pigs have sided with the opossums in order to face a new enemy, an army of wolves, and his old foe Axel Gear has even become the new Rocket Knight. Crazy!
It looks like 1UP will have more coverage as the week goes on, so you'll want to check back. Who else is jumping up and down in anticipation and mad with nostalgia-fueled excitement?
"Creepy, I literally JUST showed the original to my girlfriend then came on here to see what news I'd missed over the last few days...
Epic. Truely and utterly awesome."...
In the first Paperboy in real life sketch, a man deals with the Paperboy who continually ruins his morning. The man strikes back by attacking the Paperboy with various obstacles, such as Japanese BBoys, but isn't successful futile until he takes things too far.
The second Paperboy sketch is a movie trailer spoof where a boy is forced into becoming a man by becoming the Paperboy. His dad gets shot four times too.
Both videos are oddly full of violence, which is really weird considering that this is Paperboy after all. Still, you might get a chuckle or two from watching these. Maybe.
Innex has announced a couple of new systems they're releasing that comes packed full of licensed Sega games.
First up is their portable handheld unit which has 20 Sega games built in. It will include Sonic and Knuckles, Ecco, Golden Axe and more all displayed on a 2.4" LCD screen. The unit will sell for $49.99.
Their other system is the Firecore Classic Console that can play most of your old Genesis games and includes 20 Genesis games as well. The system will also retail for $49.99.
Both systems will be out next week. I usual steer clear from these type of consoles, mostly because I'm OCD and must have the original console or game (I won't even play emulated games on the PC). The handheld unit does seem pretty nice though.
"Is this the handheld that you can insert full size Mega Drive games into? or is that a different one - as a student without a TV handhelds are better for me right now."...
What do you do when you're a professional blogger JOURNALIST and you come across something that you think is really cool, but you know that it's already days old? Do you ignore it, preventing the blog-o-sphere from accusing you of being a bad internet citizen, or do you brace yourself for the "welcomed to yesterday, @22H07E!" comments, and just go for it?
I think it depends on how cool the "something" in question is. In this case, it's three trailers for No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle. Two of these videos focus on the game's heartwarming 8-bit jobs segments, and the last culminates with a sexy black (or Japanase?) woman with a white afro talking trash to a decapitated man's head. She's so pissed at this head that she's actually threatening it after she's already removed it from its body.
Yeah, I think that's worth posting, especially since I just found these "old" videos in a higher quality format than previouslty available. Hey, you don't take my word for it. Hit the jump and decide for yourself if this post deserves to exist.
"I appreciate the approval that you have give to this post.
Now to go find some other 24 hour-old news to post, or maybe even a three day old game to review.
JOURNALISM"...
At first glance these Photoshopped images from Life Magazine are just kind of cool. Combining Space Invaders with American hunters looks pretty neat, but upon a moments reflection there's something about them that gives them some sort of je ne sais quoi. You can't really take your eyes away from them very easily they're so well done. Does anyone else want to write a deconstructive essay on the decline of Americana caused by the study progression of technology because of these?
The artist behind these, Ryan Snieder, simply did both images for fun, but judging from the amount of hits he's getting to his portfolio off of this I'm hoping that he's going to pump out a few more. Notice the bonus ship in the background of the second photo, and while it's mostly the original photographer's doing, the use of negative space in the first photo works amazingly well with the 8bit invader the hunter is carrying. I'd love to see a full series in a gallery some time with giant Space Invader statues decorating the floor and something Rockewellian laying around.
"The Memory Card" is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.
Online multiplayer is revolutionary. The fact that almost every console offers you the chance to play a specific videogame with almost anyone in the world at anytime is a pretty remarkable step forward in terms of both technology and player interaction. There is no denying the birth of online multiplayer changed videogames forever.
But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
While I still play games online and admire how its creation affected the industry, I am an old school kind of guy (translation: retro snob) and long for the days when friends got together and played videogames in the same room. I love it. I love it so much that I try to do it as much as possible (thank you, Rock Band and Wii Sports Resort).
This is why I still play and worship Contra for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Even though you can play it online through Xbox Live Arcade, nothing -- and I mean, nothing -- will ever beat sitting next to a buddy and enjoying the genuine camaraderie that fills the room as you laugh and curse your way through the game’s ridiculously tough stages.
Hit the jump to relive my favorite multiplayer moment from Contra -- actually, maybe my favorite multiplayer moment of all time. A moment so classic, so nostalgic, so maddening ... that it can only be truly appreciated with a good friend by your side.
Ever since we got our first look at From Software's 3D Dot Game Heroes, the general sentiment has been that we love the way it looks, but we're all dying to see some actual video. Well, today you can rejoice, for I have brought you ... a thing.
That thing is a new trailer, giving us our first look at the game in motion. We knew 3D Dot Game Heroes was going to be very Zelda-like, and as you can see above, that's true not just in terms of weapons but also in its music and the way it moves. In fact, it quite literally looks like a sprite game in 3D, right down to its hoppity character animation.
I'm not sure what else I expected after weeks of seeing screenshots, but I'm still impressed with just how well it captures the classic retro feel of the games it pays homage to. Watching enemies explode into clouds of tiny blocks has me hoping ever harder that this one comes stateside. Take a look for yourself and let us know what you think.
A perfect score in Pac-Man was obtained ten years ago by Billy Mitchell, meaning that no one can ever score higher. How then does a person break the world record in Pac-Man? By doing it faster of course. Since Billy Mitchell the record has been broken four more times, and now we can add a fifth. David Race is your new world record holder for the Pac-Man high score with the time of 3 hours, 41 minutes, and 22 seconds. That's only 42 seconds faster than the previous time of 3 hours, 42 minutes, and 4 seconds, which was held by Chris Ayra.
In case you're wondering what it entails to get a perfect score, it means that the player has to eat every dot, every bonus fruit and every blue ghost possible throughout the game until it crashes at level 256. Pretty daunting, and to pull it off in under four hours is practically inhuman. I hope Race got many hearty pats on the back for his achievement or at least a job well done.
"...BILLY, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! First you lose the Donkey Kong record to that Weibe kid, and now you've lost Pac-Man?! Is the hot sauce distracting you from your true calling? Step it..."...
Yesterday marked the official 10th anniversary of the Sega Dreamcast, and I was both honored and delighted to be able to talk shop about its hardware for a while. What I didn't have room for in that post, however, was what truly made the Dreamcast the legendary system it was: its game library.
Today we're going to fix that. While it's not altogether impossible for one person to fully expound on the entirety of the Dreamcast's complete lineup of software titles, it wouldn't be a fun project to undertake, and would probably be even less fun to read. Instead, think of this as a list of personal reccomendations. A catalog of games that I have loved over the past decade, or otherwise consider to be essential, must-have titles for anyone who's serious about building a collection.
So without any further yappery, hit the jump for a rundown of my favorite Dreamcast games. Oh, and by the way? This post is enormous. I don't recommend trying to read the whole thing at once.
"Nice article Topher!! u activated my trap card when u didnt mention Tech Romancer tho! :( the trap card will have no effect if u mention u just forgot to add it to the list, but if u actually nev..."...
Toys R Us is today rolling out its huge nationwide videogame trade-in program, a new initiative that will allow customers to sell back all manner of games, including classic titles that retailers such as GameStop have long-since forgotten. If you want an idea of just what sort of games are acceptable, be aware that Toys R Us will accept Atari 2600 games. Yes, you read that correctly.
Trade-ins will be exchanged for gift cards that can be spent at any store or used online. To trade a title in, simply take your moisture-warped and dusty old crap to the "guest services desk" where the items will be scanned. If you accept the price, you get a gift card and that's that. Everyone's a winner.
This is seriously surprising news. Who'd have thought that Toys R Us, of all stores, would go all retro on us? Looks like it might be a nice store to check out if you're in need of some old obscurities.
"@Count Grishnack they already have gone down around here- they closed over 3/4 of their stores around here, we used to have 3 in san francisco, 1 in daly city 2 in oakland- all gone a few years a..."...
Taito and Square-Enix have just announced that Space Invaders Extreme 2, the sequel to what was easily one of my favorite DS games of last year, will be arriving in PAL region territories on October 2nd. The game is slated for release in the US on September 23rd.
This new version boasts some cool new features like an enhanced Battle Play mode, a new "Bingo" round-clearing system, and a new score attack mode that acts as a beginner's course, with an infinite player stock. Even if you're quite skilled at games like this, that sounds like a nice opportunity to kick back and blast away at things if you ask me. Sometimes you just want to shoot stuff.
Thankfully, the game retains all of the qualities that made the first one great, like its download play function, varied stages and great soundtrack. Check out the gallery below for some screenshots and hit the jump for the full details.
"why not hop off of Space Invader's dick for a moment and get an avatar?
Derp derp derp, I need a stupid picture to represent myself, otherwise my opinion is invalid and I am homosexical"...
Ten years ago today (9/9/99), the Sega Dreamcast made its debut in North America. For M. Bison, it was a Thursday. For the rest of us, it was the day that forever changed console gaming as we knew it.
Bad timing? Yeah. Historically bad. The Dreamcast enjoyed just over a year in the spotlight before Sony launched the eagerly-awaited and massively successful PlayStation 2, which not only put Sega's sixth-gen console entry to rest in the US in March of 2001, but subsequently knocked the company out of the console business entirely.
That wasn't before the Dreamcast had made its mark, however. This is, after all, the machine that gave birth to online console gaming. It was vastly ahead of its time, it was affordable at $199, and among many other points you can read about after the jump, it was, and still is, my favorite console ever made. Follow on as Destructoid pays tribute in honor of its 10th anniversary.
"Great article and it's written with a lot of love. I remember being at the hardware launch on 9-9-09. I went home with a copy of soul calibur that night and I was instantly in love. My game highl..."...
Do you remember Medabots? I know it's difficult, but try to think back as far as 1997, a time when small creatures fighting for your approval was all the rage. Medabots was basically Pokémon, but revolving around robots instead of monsters. I still remember the cartoon show, although I've got no good reason to.
Anyway, the point of all this is that Medabots is making its glorious return, coming to the Nintendo DS with three-on-three battles and 3D graphics. In true to the spirit of ripping off Pokémon, there will be two versions of the game released -- Kabuto Version and Kuwaga Version. Original developer Natsume won't be working on this new title, with Rocket Company instead taking the helm.
I'm like, the only one who remembers Medabots, aren't I?
"huh. I came in here thinking I was gonna be the only one with good memories of this series. I don't know a single other person who's watched the series before, but I fucking LOVE this shit! sole ..."...
You may not have known it, but Konami has recently published a new Contra Game. Japan, Europe and Australia have already been enjoying the new Contra ReBirth on WiiWare -- some since May, and now it's finally our turn to fight over the spread gun.
The game has been confirmed to be headed to WiiWare in the US on Monday, September 7th, priced at 1000 Wii points. It will feature local 2-player co-op and two unlockable characters, and sports a stylized new look that still manages to match the classic visuals of the series.
This follows closely behind the recent Gradius ReBirth, which gives me hope that konami will continue this trend with some of its other games. If that turns out to be the case, what would you like to see next?
According to another information leak from the trusty ESRB, it appears the jiggly arcade puzzle game Magical Drop III is on its way to the Wii. It comes as part of a compilation of classic Data East arcade games, imaginatively titled Data East Arcade Collection. The game is almost singlehandedly responsible for boosting the entire disc's ESRB rating to T, and the description reads thusly:
"A puzzle game called Magical Drop III depicts female characters wearing provocative outfits that expose underwear and deep cleavage. When players score points or make successful combos, the background figures cheer or move in ways that cause their breasts to jiggle."
Sounds about right. Also included in the compilation are Bad Dudes, Burger Time, Caveman Ninja and Street Slam just to name a few. A release date for the collection has yet to be announced, but it's been a long time since we heard the name Data East, and I know of a few Baltimore area Dtoiders who are already looking forward to it even if they don't know it exists yet.
"I love compilations like this, mostly cause i missed out on a lot of these games cause I was too young at the time, but boobs just makes it that much better"...
One of my favorite parts of the original No More Heroes comes about two thirds of the way through the game, when our hero Travis Touchdown suddenly comes down with a case of narcolepsy while riding the subway. I'm not a doctor or anything, but narcolepsy is a fair diagnosis, as that's the only thing that could cause a healthy young male who has just finished murdering at least twenty people to suddenly catch a case of the sleepies.
Anyway, the great part of this scenario isn't the fact that Travis naps, it's that when he sleeps, he dreams of videogames. In this instance, he dreams of a particularly awesome shmup called Pure White Giant Glastonbury. Not only is the game great, but its existence in Travis's imagination cements him as one of the only videogame protagonists who truly loves videogames himself.
Well, it looks like in No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle, Travis's love of gaming is hopping out of his dreams and into his "real" life. While working for money or just working out in the gym, Travis now sees the world through an 8 bit lens. Some of his new jobs look reminiscent of NES classics like Mach Rider, and others look totally new (and totally weird).
Seriously, could this game get any more awesome? Expect more hands-on info on this sucker in the coming days from Dtoid's PAX 2009 team.
[Images lifted from a new IGN video. Thanks Agnates for the tip!]
Not to be confused with Spelunky on XBLA, which Ashley told you about the other day. That's an indie game by Derek Yu. Spelunker is the classic Irem title, possibly best remembered for its theme song, which was playable in at least one version of Taiko no Tatsujin if it wasn't already etched into your brain from the original NES game.
Spelunker is on its way to PSN, having been given the standard treatment with revamped HD graphics and a bumpin' version of its original music. This version will also feature 6-player online co-op, and can be played with either the shiny new visuals or its classic 8-bit look.
Interestingly, the game also boasts a platinum trophy, which is unusual for a digital PSN title. Tozai will be bringing Spelunker HD to the US soon, and It'll already be playable at the company's PAX booth if you want to get in some early playtime with it.
“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.
For years, role-playing games have introduced numerous, colorful casts of playable characters that ban together to stop the world from some unforeseen, horribly evil force. And, sadly, these casts are usually made up of some very interchangeable heroes. Giant sword? Check. Mysterious past? Check. Crazy haircut? Check.
As these generic heroes travel through their respective, fictional RPG worlds, they come in contact with too many NPCs to count. And sometimes these non-playable characters show signs of being even more interesting than the main protagonist you are controlling. Haven’t you ever wondered what the story is surrounding that beautiful, red-haired bartender that works in the basement of that inn? Or what of the random girl who sits by the lake, spouting helpful advice about where to find a particular treasure?
Dragon Quest IV for the Nintendo Entertainment System not only tackles these fascinating questions, the game dedicates a whole section to focus on one of the most unlikely heroes to ever set foot in an RPG.
Hit the jump to visit one of the most original, creative sequences in one of my favorite retro role-playing games of all time.
Sadly, this article isn't about a Zork remake (not that a text-only game would benefit from bump mapping or bloom lighting) -- I just needed a catchy headline that would attract text adventure enthusiasts. If the phrase "You are likely to be eaten by a grue" doesn't mean much to you, you should do a bit of homework (I would also suggest a personal favorite, Aisle).
If you are a text adventure enthusiast (or even just a "Hey! That's cool!" enthusiast), you'll be delighted to know that the Reign of Grelock (beta) is available as an online Flash game thanks to Chris Marjason. The game can be found in its original glory at a computer terminal in the Hubris Comics' offices in Fallout 3. Reign of Grelock is pretty short, and you won't get any bonuses for playing it (in Fallout 3 or otherwise), but it's a neat homage to ye olde school of text-only parser game design.
Because the game was remade in Flash, options are clickable, Marjason having done away with the text inputs. Nevertheless, he kept the computer terminal border and fixed some of the original's glitches. If you're feeling nostalgic and have ten minutes to kill, click here to give Reign of Grelock (beta) a whirl.
Here's your second dose of canceled game esoterica for the night, again courtesy of Unseen64: concept art and details about the ill-fated Earthworm Jim prototype for the Xbox and and PlayStation 2 from 2003.
Barely out of preproduction, the new Earthworm Jim prototype was prematurely scuttled as it constituted a risky move for Interplay Entertainment. You know what's an even riskier move? Not making games that fans love and keep clamoring for. Interplay is now all but forgotten, downloadable remakes and a stuttering "revival" notwithstanding.
In any case, the game would've been a side-scrolling shooter kind of like Donkey Kong Jungle Beat: 3D environment viewed from a fixed, on-rails camera. As usual, the Annelid Avenger's head would've served as grappling hook and propeller, with the added advantage of being able to pick up (and throw?) heavy objects.
But, as the venerable Gonzo put it, "when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." One section of the game involved a swing-dance style musical boat tour of the River Styx, with Charon acting as bandleader and coxswain. Another featured ancient Rome made entirely of cheese, where Jim would've fought Gorgon Zola in the Fondue Coliseum while toga-clad mice looked on.
There's no way that wouldn't have been awesome, especially since Charon looks like Manny from Grim Fandango and Gorgon Zola looks like the Tentacle of Day of the Tentacle. Can you spot any more Tim Schaefer-inspired designs in the gallery?
Hudson is really mining the hell out of its TurboGrafx-16 library these days, and I for one couldn't be happier about it. Before the SNES was released, the TG-16 was my 16-bit system of choice, despite the fact that it was really only as powerful as two NESs duct-taped together. That's why I'm ready to smash-my-head-into-the-faces-of-strangers-then-eat-the-meat-that-pops-out-of-them with delight over the announcement of Bonk:Brink of Extinction. This is the first all new Bonk game to be released in the US since Super Bonk came out in 1994, and for that reason alone, I want to eat dino-chops.
Just like with the new Okami game on the DS, I'm also little nervous that this new Bonk game wont live up to its heritage. Bonk himself is looking a little weird here, and not half as cool as he did in the Gamecube/PS2 remake of the original game. Still, a weird looking new Bonk is still better than no new Bonk at all, and that new white mohawk he's sporting in the gallery looks pretty threatening.
Just when you thought From Software's upcoming 3D Dot Game Heroes couldn't possibly get any cooler, this week's issue of Famitsu touts evidence to the contrary. Not only will the game have skeletons, but it will also feature items and weapons reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda, including bombs, a bow and arrow, and a boomerang.
Much like Link, the game's heroes will use these weapons not just in combat, but also to help solve puzzles. The boomerang can be used to stun multiple enemies at once, and the bomb allows you to bust through walls, just as you'd expect. It's an obvious (and welcome) homage to Nintendo's classic, and should make for some satisfyingly familiar gameplay.
As you might have guessed, however, your main weapon will be a sword. This will start out small, but as you defeat enemeies and eat the apples they leave behind, both your life meter and your blade will increase in size. The two are directly related, so you'll essentially be weilding your own life bar. Cool concept. Famitsu says that at max health, your sword becomes "fat, long and hard." I'm not making that up, that's their exact wording.
The new issue also reveals a second playable main character, known as The Prince. You'll find a few shots of him, the aforementioned weapons, the sword and a print ad for the game in the gallery below. Oh, and there are apparently also BEES. This game had better come stateside.
The Vampire Killer theme from the Castlevania series is by far one of the most recognizable gaming themes out there, and it's probably one of the best themes from the days of 8-bit gaming. It has also shown up in almost every iteration of the Castlevania series, morphing and changing as time progressed. It's hard to really get a grasp on it all thanks to the many iterations of the theme, but a recently discovered YouTube vid puts it all together for us.
The theme has been through some rough spots (Castlevania Chronicles, 6:28) and some absolute brilliance (Akumajo Dracula X: Gekka no Yasoukyoku - Nocturne in the Moonlight, 4:54), though I have to say that my favorite has got to be Super Castlevania IV (1:29). It's the perfect combination of old school and revamp. What is really cool about the video and the theme itself is that it easily takes us through a history of game music: from the beeps and boops at the birth of gaming to the over synthesized 90s to the scores of today and, somewhat ironically, back to the beeps and boops as the series went mobile. Can't wait to hear what is next.
Because of YouTube's 10 minute time limit the video's creator couldn't fit in Castlevania Judgement, which actually has a very strong version of the Vampire Killer theme, so I've popped it in below.
"Using the American Castlevania III music when the Japanese Castelvania III had much better VRC6 assisted music is a crime.
He could have at least included it in the video, although it already hi..."...
Last week, Colette brought us news of From Software's charmingly blocky new RPG, 3D Dot Game Heroes, which was set to be released in Japan sometime in November. Today, Dengeki Online reports the specific release date to be November 5th, with a price point of 7,140 Yen.
More interestingly, the article gives us a peek at the game's storyline. As you'll notice in some of the screenshots below, the tale begins in a traditional 2D setting. After a young hero seals away an ancient evil, (the game is intentionally filled with ironic RPG cliche), the people of the land begin to lose interest in their 2D world and eventually become unhappy. Driven by his desire to see the kingdom and its people restored to their former glory, the powerful king transforms the world into a realm of shiny, 3-dimensional beauty. Not long after, there's an "incident," and the hero's 3D quest begins.
Sounds horribly typical, but it knows it. That should be fun, and the only thing that could possibly make it any better is a skeleton. Thankfully, Silicon Studio are happy to oblige and as you can see above, the game features a f*cking skeleton. SCORE.
Still no word on whether this title will make its way stateside, (or whether we'll get to play as the skeleton, which would rule), but I'd be willing to bet there's enough of an audience here for it. In any case, we're keeping a close eye on this one and we'll let you know. Check out the gallery for a look at both the 2D and 3D versions of this charming new world. Also, the skeleton.
[A critical eye takes time to develop. RetRose Tinted is a regular feature in which I re-examine games of yesteryear to see if my memories of them live up to the reality.]
I was probably about eleven years of age when I first played Godzilla Monster of Monsters on a friend's NES. We were both pretty excited at the prospect of controlling the radioactive monster from the depths, having seen more than a few Toho films by this point.
What we got was a confusing mess. The map was confusing to us for some reason, possibly its hex-based design (it would be another year or two before I delved heavily into board games where such things are common). And the game gave very little direction to what should have been a simple affair: Control Godzilla, wreck s--t.
After that first experience, Godzilla was tainted in my mind. It was a "bad game" for many years and I would groan at the sight of the cartridge. Maybe I'm wrong, though, and merely prejudiced against something I simply didn't understand.
"oh god, this isn't the same one I played, but I remembered one on the SNES where you'd walk around on a grid, and had to maneuver around the military, power lines, etc, and then make your way to ..."...
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12:40 PM on 11.25.2009, 
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