November 21, 2006
VC lacks TurboGrafx – 16 games
The title says it all, for North American Wii owners. The virtual console launched in America with no games in the TG16 category, although there are some in other regions (especially in Japan). This should not have come as a surprise since none were listed in with the launch titles, but that bit of information seems to have slipped under the collective radar of the video gaming online circle. I’m not particularly upset, but some people are.
There have been no announcements as to when we should expect to see any stateside.
November 14, 2006
Nintendo answers gamers’ questions about VC
The readers over at computer and videogames were recently given the opportunity to fire questions at the big N regarding the VC and the responses are in. For better or worse, there are no big surprises in the Q&A, except perhaps the fact that N64 games will not feature rumble.
Another interesting note is that the question of frame rate issues was avoided. As the question asserts, some people actually want the original problems preserved while others would prefer they were fixed. The response seems to indicate that they’re just going to preserve the original code and the games will run however well they will run. Is this in response to those who want the original experience or just lazy?
On a final note, I’m mildy surprised that they responded to the question regarding the features of computer emulation with something other than, “We do not support such practices;” however, it was to be expected that no new multiplayer features would be added at launch.
November 10, 2006
Even more VC games added
It seems odd that there would be two leaks in one week, but when one considers that the ESRB is the responsible party the surprise withers. Perhaps it has something to do with protocol, but the ratings board has been releasing the titles of upcoming virtual console games in order to make sure everyone knows their ratings weeks ahead of time.
I posted previously that they had gone with Punch-Out! with the last batch, but it seems my predictive powers have run out. None of the other games I had chosen have appeared on the new lists. The full list of virtual console games in each region can be found here at Wikipedia.
November 8, 2006
Punch-Out comes to the VC
Apparently the higher ups at Nintendo agree with at least one of my opinions: among the newest list of games being added to the virtual console is Punch-Out! The news, including the full list of newly added games, can be found here at IGN.
November 7, 2006
Megaman 2
Current Status: Not on the virtual console
There is no denying that this title was a major success. It has not reached the same status outside of the gaming world as Super Mario Bros. or Donkey Kong, but it sold fantastically and spearheaded the popularity of one longest standing gaming franchises in history.
Megaman 2 played much like its predecessor, and quite frankly, much like its four NES sequels. The player commands a cyborg created to fight against the evil robot armies of Dr. Wily. Led by his creator (and former partner of the once benevolent Wily) , Megaman must defeat eight humanoid robot bosses, each of which stands waiting behind a legion of robotic guards. When a boss is vanquished, Megaman absorbs his power and can utilize his weaponry down the line. This is the unique calling card of the Megaman series: the power of one enemy is invariably the weakness of another and completing the game is only a matter of discovering the pattern.
As is true with all of the games I have reviewed so far, the music in this game makes it stand out. The series is respected for the soundtracks it has produced, but this one is the best (IMO) of them all.
Recommendation: The problem with putting a Megaman game on the virtual console is choosing which one to use. There are many great games in this mix, but listing several would have them compete. On top of that, many modern iterations of the game would probably keep this particular version from selling. Furthermore, a Megaman anniversary collection was released for several consoles only a few years ago and that package contains a full ten games, including the one under question. Used, the collection would probably cost less than $20 itself. Unfortunately, the ease with which one could already get their Megaman fix renders this title nearly useless on the virtual console.
October 13, 2006
Crystalis
Current status: Not on the virtual console
Anyone who was a fan of the Final Fantasy series up through the Playstation will remember that the biggest problem with Final Fantasy 8 was that it wasn’t Final Fantasy 7. FF8 was a fantastic game, that much is clear now, but the hype of the massive fan base of the predecessor set the bar so high that it took years for it to gain the praise it deserved. Although games in the NES era couldn’t match the numbers of today’s games, Crystalis met a similar fate on a much smaller scale. While there are many fans of this game even today, Crystalis will never be able to change the fact that it is neither Final Fantasy nor The Legend of Zelda.
It’s hard to determine exactly why this game did not achieve the popularity of its illustrious predecessors. It did meet success initially, but it quickly fell off of the gaming radar. Some attribute this to the fact that Nintendo Power magazine chose to focus instead on another RPG, Star Tropics, for their full walkthrough sections at the time; another factor may be the release of the Super Nintendo in the same year.
In Crystalis, one plays the role of a messiah who has awakened to save the world from roaming monsters and a powerful floating fortress by gathering together four elemental swords. The swords will combine to form Crystalis, a powerful weapon that the player must use to defeat the game’s final enemy. It combines the action rpg style of The Legend of Zelda and character advances similar to the destined-to-become-standard Final Fantasy series.
Recommendation: Unfortunately, the repetitive manner of character advancement may have become a bit dated for mainstream approval. On the other hand, the success of MMORPGs suggest that players are still as perfectly willing to grind mindless, innumerable enemies as they were in the NES era. Even so, while I would personally love to see this game return, it would probably have to get in line behind many more popular games of the same genre.
October 10, 2006
Duck Tales
Current status: Not on the virtual console.
Traditionally, games based on movies and television shows are abysmal. This is as true now as it was back in 1985 when the NES hit American shores, but occasionally a title shines through as an exception. In 1989, one such game was Duck Tales, developed by Capcom.
The game had players take on the role of Scrooge McDuck as he travelled the world and beyond in search of valuable treasures. I’ll return to the importance of beyond later. Scrooge would use his cane both as a pogo stick for travel and stomping enemies as well as a club with which he could launch items into obstacles, inanimate or otherwise. These two gameplay elements make up the majority of the adventure, actually, but as precious few NES developers realized, a player can be convinced that they’re having fun no matter what they’re doing as long as the music is entertaining.
And in this game, it is. The songs are catchy and follow the light tone typical of the cartoon from which it spawned. The opening theme is, of course, the main theme from the cartoon, but besides that the sound track appears to be original.
Which brings us back to the importance of beyond. One of the levels of the game takes place on the moon (which is silly since ducks tend to breath oxygen, but we’ll let it slide). Here, isolated from the world which would otherwise give it the respect it deserves, is the song that makes playing the entire game worthwhile, nit that you’d have to. The moon theme is easily one of the most under-rated songs in video games history. If you have never heard it, you’ll probably think I’m crazy, but check out the midi at vgmusic.com anyway.
I don’t mean to focus the entire review on this one song, but to be honest, that’s why I picked it. The rest of the game is great compared to most of what the NES has to offer, but there are many games I’d choose to play silently before this one. Still, if you catch me running out of my burning living space carrying whatever precious few items can fit within my arms, this game will probably be in my hands. Maybe not my right hand, but at least my left.
Recommendation: There are a lot of games that need to be made available before this one, but eventually it should go up. There might be some licensing issues at this point, but it would be worth it for them the big N to figure it out. Simple gameplay with catchy music is perfect for the casual crowd that Nintendo hopes to attract with its new console.
October 6, 2006
Punch Out!
Current status: Not currently on the virtual console
Punch out! (Mike Tyson’s Punch Out! before a certain conviction came about) was one of those games for the NES that almost everybody had played, but no one could ever seem to finish. Although the determination and reflexes of more gamers have led to this game’s completion than a select few classics, Punch Out! still commands a place among the most difficult games of all time.
Punch Out! had the player control a tiny start-up boxer named Little Mac who was led by a stout man named Doc. Mac would have to dodge and counter the lightening fast attacks of his opponent, which were usually preceded by some sort of visual clue. The importance of the clues were paramount (my use of the cheesy modifier “lightening fast” was no manner of exaggeration). The key to victory in this game was learning the behavior of the opponent and being quick enough to react to their hints before being sent to the mat.
This task is easy in the openning matches, but in typical gaming fashion, they become increasingly difficult as the player progresses. Passwords would be provided to the player after certain victories, which one would think would make the game easier, but the fact of the matter is that any player who stood a chance of moving forward, had probably all but mastered those they’ve played before. As one nears the end of the game, the enemies become so difficult to defeat that the player must know them inside and out in order to keep them down for the count.
As is true for most popular classic games, the music of Punch Out! stands out as one of it’s defining features; however, there is something special about the warm, 8-bit tones of this particular cartridge. One school group, for example, loved the songs enough to perform the main tracks live with some menial acting to accompany. (See it at YouTube)
The final fight is a notoriously difficult fight between either Mike Tyson (in the version bearing his name) or Mr. Dream, who differed only in appearance. See a skilled player defeat the big man here at YouTube.
Recommendation: Put it up for sale! I would love to see a new generation of gamers introduced to the difficulty of this game. Most single player games today are about the journey and triumphs of the characters involved rather than the player, which is not particularly a bad thing, but the majority of modern skill based games are multiplayer. It’s nice to be able to actually feel accomplished upon defeating an opponent and be able to show it without making any of your friends mad.
October 3, 2006
Why this blog?
The purpose of this blog is to re-examine the the Nintendo games of our past in order to judge their value in relation to Nintendo’s upcoming “virtual console” on the Wii. The new console is set to be released on November 19th and, as of now, these are the older games slated for re-release at launch.
As you can see, Nintendo is using games from without their intellectual property, but here we will stick to games released on Nintendo’s own consoles. Our goal is to determine which games out of the vast sea of little grey cartridges are worthy of the next gen console and which of Nintendo’s chosen are worthy of our money.
