Fans. They're never happy with anything, are they? Sega announces Sonic the Hedghog 4, a 2D retro experience that people have been clamoring for since the move to 3D, and people still manage to find things to complain about. Some of the complaints I already addressed, but by far the most controversial issue seems to be the fact that Sonic himself doesn't look old school enough.
Internet justice to the rescue! Fans have set up a petition (470 sigs and counting) in a bid to make Sega change the current Sonic design to something more reminiscent of the Genesis era. Apparently, people aren't fans of the sleeker modern Hedgehog, and want the old pot-bellied guy back on their screens. Sega's bound to ignore the outcry, but it never hurts to try I suppose.
As possibly the biggest (or only) Sonic fan on Destructoid's staff, I personally have never had an issue with Sonic's current look. I might be in the minority, but I've always kind of liked the way he looks these days, and I don't think character design has ever been the guy's biggest problem. Still, if people are determined to find things to whine about before we've seen more than a teaser trailer, I guess this is as good a subject as any.
"They're right though Jim. You can't claim to be retro or a "return" if you're still using that ugly modern design. To me it's a bit of a gutless move that they didn't go all the way considering t..."...
We got the news yesterday that a remake/sequel to Blaster Master called Blaster Master:Overdrive would be hitting WiiWare this Monday, but all we had to go on were some small, blurry screenshots and a press release. Well, now we have a small, blurry video too! Hooray!
What do you think of the game so far? Personally, I'm not totally sold on its look yet, but one things for sure, that remix of the "Stage 1" music from the original game is good stuff. As a rule, I prefer sprite-based graphics and chip tunes to pre-rendered graphics and synth-y re-recordings, but those hand-claps are alright. The new grappling hook power-up looks cool too.
"
Well, I'm a mid-thirties guy with a son, I started gaming on a banana yellow Odyssey and spent my childhood triggering Minus Worlds and entering Konami codes, so I know exactly the kind of pers..."...
Jesus, where the hell did this come from? Did someone at Sunsoft forget to do PR for the past few weeks, or did they think that the less time we have to anticipate a game, the more likely we are to pick it up on an impulse buy?
Either way, I'll be sure to pick up Blaster Master Overdrive when it launches on WiiWare this Monday for 1,000 WiiPoints. Ten bucks is a steal for a sequel to Blaster Master, which is easily one of my favorite NES games ever. The slightly tweaked version on the Wii's Virtual Console was even better than the original. Infinite continues FTW.
Hit the jump for the full press release, and stay tuned for larger, less blurry screens of the game in action. Hopefully I'll get a hold of some before the game comes out, which is in less than 48 hours.
Man, I'm so excited to fight that crab boss again. He's such a bastard...
IGN just got exclusive video of Bit.Trip RUNNER in action, and I'm totally freaking out. As a huge fan of Sony's now abandoned rhythm platforming series Vib Ribbon, the original Atari 2600 version of Pitfall!, and the previously released Bit.Trip games, it was inevitable that this game would make me crap my pants with joy. I just didn't expect the crappening to happen this soon.
Project Needlemouse will officially get its real name on Thursday, and we're all pretty certain it'll be called Sonic the Hedgehog 4. If we needed any more proof, Sega has teased a small slice of the new game's soundtrack. It's short, but it sounds magnificent. It's Sonic, the way it's supposed to sound. Just play that video up above for the proof!
Two new pieces of artwork have also been revealed, a revolving sunflower and a palm tree. Like the Badniks, these environmental pieces are old school Sonic mainstays. Sega has all but confirmed that the palm trees will, yet again, hide boxes with Invincibility power-ups in them.
I'll admit it -- Sega has me by the balls on this one. They have to realize that they can't stuff this one up, and the promotion so far has been so self-aware that I'm sure they know what they're doing. I hope they know what they're doing.
I will kill for a new Battletoads game. You hear me, Rare? You're not doing anything else worthwhile, you could do this. Other than stupid memes that crush my hopes and dreams I have nothing to tide me over. I suppose these custom made Battletoads action figures will keep me going for a few months. They're awesome enough to keep me going for a few years if I had my hands on them, but I doubt that is going to happen as they're customs.
G-Brand of FigureRealm has rocked some customs that look amazing. Zitz, Rash and Pimple get the action figure treatment and look totally amazing doing it. They're made up of wrestling action figures and gnarliness. Where G-Brand found so much gnarliness I am not sure, but I applaud his ability to cultivate it and put it into action figure form. My favorite is Rash. You gotta love those glasses. You can see a full gallery over at Tomopop, where they have a special uploader that can handle this much awesome.
"@kylamity
Calling gamestop for battletoads and hearing "yes we have them" and them not getting greatly upset is no fun. They should be sold everywhere BUT gamestop."...
Microsoft's Game Room looks pretty damn neat, although there are some things which have lessened its appeal recently. Here's another possible one: Game Room is rated "E 10+."
What this means, according to a Microsoft representative, is that games which would garner a rating of "T" or "M" will not be made available on the service. No Mortal Kombat or any other sort of graphically violent game would stand a chance.
It's not a huge deal, considering how many classic arcade games wouldn't be considered inappropriate for anyone prior to the 1990's, but there will be some gaps in the catalog as a result. As long as I can get Crystal Castles, it doesn't bother me too much. I guess Death Race 2000 is right out, though.
"Honestly, they'll bitch about Sony trying something different but E only games on 360's game room is "awwwwwright!" lol wow.. Reminds me of that song you know, "I see your truuuee colours shiiiin..."...
I don't use emulators almost every day. If I did, and I'm not saying that I do, I would try to make the experience as similar to the original. In the case of emulating the Atari 2600, this little jobber would likely be my go-to. That is, if I used emulators. Which I don't.
The Clear Classic USB Joystick promises to give you all the flashiness of modern peripheral design (complete with blue LEDs!) without sacrificing the discomfort that only comes from wrenching around an original 2600 controller. If you like, you can even remove the controller board and put it into a more ergonomic housing. And it comes with the Stella 2600 emulator and 80 ROMs packed in on a CD. Neato!
The whole thing goes for $30 and you can get your own from Reflex Audio.
The latest Iwata Asks is full of information that all Zelda fans will dig. On the last couple of updates, the group talking with Iwata whipped out some of the original concept art for The Legend of Zelda for the original Nintendo. The images include a world map, design outline, a dungeon and more.
The interview is a real treat as Iwata is so surprised to see these original documents are still around. It's also really surreal seeing these images. They are just like something a kid would make to help them memorize all the key points in a Zelda game.
Here's a little something that you probably figured would be the case, but didn't know for sure: Any Xbox LIVE Arcade games that are also offered through Game Room when it launches this spring will have to be re-purchased for use in the fancy new hub.
Game Informer got a response from a Microsoft rep that cites Game Room titles as being "the original versions and not 'revamped' like those on XBLA." Sure, I suppose that makes sense.
Personally, I would have said the inconsistency of Achievements between the two versions and the ability to buy the Game Room line-up for use on a PC is reason enough to warrant the company's stance.
With games ranging from 240 - 400 Microsoft Points, at least the prices will be no higher than what they were for your original XBLA purchases should you decide to double dip. You can deny it now, but just know that one late night, Centipede will be calling for you, begging for a second purchase.
Long before GameStop swallowed up most of its major competitors, there was FuncoLand. The first major videogame chain store of its kind, FuncoLand offered plenty of used games for all consoles. Unbeknownst to us all until now, FuncoLand employees were horribly mistreated as they were forced to watch this disgusting employee training video.
As brain hurting as this video is, I can't help but remember when I first started working in videogame retail. It was during the N64 and PlayStation 1 era and seeing all of those classic games on the shelves brings back some memories. Mostly bad memories, but some good ones too.
Check out the second part of the employee training video after the break.
Bit.Trip was easily my favorite new IP of 2009. BEAT, CORE, and VOID are all amazing in their own ways, but as great as they are, they couldn't have prepared me for this.
Bit.Trip RUNNER, the fourth game in the series, looks amazing. It's planned to be a rhythm-platformer in the style of Vib Ribbon, and will have over 50+ levels. That information alone has me thinking that it could easily go on to be my 2010 Game of the Year. It's also got me wondering how the team behind the series could possibly top themselves from here. After RUNNER, what the hell are they going to do to blow my mind?
Ah, what am I worried about? They haven't let me down yet.
OK, I'm going to go lock myself in a dark room now and listen to the Vib Ribbon soundtrack until I start hallucinating. It may be the only way for me to deal with the overwhelming urge I have to fly to the Gaijin Games studios and try to steal Bit.Trip RUNNER before it's done.
And don't forget that you could get your artwork into Bit.Trip RUNNER. Yes, you too could be a part of greatness.
Super Mario Galaxy is one of the most beloved Mario games of all time -- it came in at number 9 on our Top 50 Videogames of the Decade list -- but don’t tell that to New Super Mario Bros. Wii. According to NPD sales numbers, Galaxy has sold 4.1 million units in the two-plus years since its launch in November 2007. But by the end of 2009, NSMB Wii -- which had been out for all of 45 days at that point -- had already sold 4.2 million copies. Astounding, isn’t it? In fact, NSMB Wiitopped the December 2009 sales charts by moving 2.82 million units, which even beat out the juggernaut that is Modern Warfare 2 by approximately 70,000 copies.
So why is NSMB Wii selling like hotcakes when Galaxy has been a (comparatively) slow burn? Well, the install base is certainly a factor: at the end of 2007, there were just under 9 million Wiis in North American homes, and that number has gone up to 26 million since then (including 3.81 million in December 2009 alone). And I’m sure the retina-burning red box for the game helped it stick out from all the other white cases on store shelves. Plus, Nintendo marketed the hell out of NSMB Wii (and focused on its multiplayer lunacy, a big draw and a first for Mario games).
Yes, all that stuff contributed to the game’s quick sales. But here’s what I think mattered the most. I think that as much as gamers clamor for originality and innovation in games, they’re actually way more comfortable with the familiar. Galaxy was lauded for breaking the mold with its spherical worlds and gravity-based gameplay, and 4.1 million sales is nothing to sneeze at, to be sure. But when Nintendo basically allowed you to play Super Mario World with three of your friends and gave the final product a ridiculous name, the game sold more copies in a fraction of the time.
Nintendo has been selling you your childhood for the past two decades, and you’ve been eating it up. Maybe when Super Mario Galaxy 2 comes out later this year, it’ll feel familiar enough for you to buy it.
A few weeks ago Hironobu Sakaguchi, famous for his hand in creating Square's Final Fantasy in 1987, remarked that his new company, Mistwalker, was working on a "project for iPhone." I'm not sure re-releasing Final Fantasy I and II on the iPhone and iPod Touch was what he meant.
But that's exactly what Square Enix is doing, as quietly announced today on their Facebook page. It hasn't even popped up on Square Enix' official iPod Web site.
That is literally all of the information I have; mum's the word on pricing and release date. If you're interested, I can only pass on a message from Square: "Stay tuned!"
But, hey, if you're feeling frustrated by the lack of tangible info, take comfort in the fact that the iPhone versions of Final Fantasy I and II feature some absolutely gorgeous sprites. For my tastes, they look remarkably better than the Dawn of Souls versions, and almost as good as the PSP re-releases from a few years ago. Look at some screenshots here.
Discerning fans will notice that the user interface has been tweaked to account for the iPhone and iPod Touch's screens, which is a nice touch. Most complaints about the iPhone have to do with the often-janky controls, but I don't think it'll be a problem for old-school turn-based affairs. All you have to do is select options from a menu.
I don't have an iPhone, but I have to admit that I'm kind of miffed that I just started a Final Fantasy II game on the PlayStation's Final Fantasy: Origins. Serves me right for being a late adopter, I guess.
Destructoid is an independently-run publication forged by our love of video games and the gaming community's need of accountable enthusiast press living the dream since March 16, 2006
3 hour ago - 8:00 PM on 02.09.2010, 
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The art of The Journalism Show: Episode 03
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Ten things I didn't love about Final Fantasy XIII
Wah wah wah Sonic the Hedgehog 4!
Ten things I loved about Final Fantasy XIII
Rev Rant: Paragon/Renegade
Counterpoint: Mass Effect 2
The ugly truth: I may not be good at videogames
Is Heavy Rain doing videogames a disservice?
iPad: Likely to change gaming, just not yours
Rev Rant: the Wrex Paradox
The best indie games of '09 (that I forgot to mention)
Beyond Dead Space: Sledgehammer Games
How Darksiders is blatantly better than Zelda
The making of The Journalism Show: Episode 02
The simple math of review scores
