Shining Force is great. Not as complex as let's say Final Fantasy Tactics, but addictive nevertheless. Damn you, Sega, for not releasing part 2 and 3 of Shining Force III over here and producing lame 'Shining' action-RPGs, when everybody just wanted a new Shining Force title.

Anyone else noticing that most of the fare posted is really.. not worth buying? Crap, I might even dare to say?

July 30, 2007

The Virtual Console™ is like a box of chocolates: You never know which games have the tasty caramel filling and which ones have that pink-green crème inside. Whatever your preference, we've got you covered with this weeks release of Star Soldier, Dynamite Headdy and Drop Off. Read on and savor the delicious centers of these classic treats.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wii™ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

Star Soldier (NES®, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Fantasy Violence, 500 Wii Points): The standard for vertically scrolling shooters, Star Soldier is the original game that spawned all of the titles in the long-running Soldier series. Go inside a floating space station inhabited by a giant computer known as Starbrain. Your mission: to stop Starbrain's galactic invasion by piloting Caesar, a new, compact space fighter through 16 deadly stages. Collect power capsules to increase three different attributes of your ship: firepower, movement speed and defensive shields. Blast wave after wave of approaching enemies or use the innovative Trap Zone feature to fly beneath a land mass and avoid incoming fire. Conquer each stage to make your way to the final confrontation with Starbrain.

Dynamite Headdy™ (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Comic Mischief, 800 Wii Points): Headdy, a toy with a detachable head, arrives in North Town to find that the evil puppet king Dark Demon is causing serious problems. Dark Demon is gathering up all the puppets in town and turning some into his own evil minions, while eliminating the rest of the puppets that aren't good enough to join his legions. Headdy is captured and is targeted for the incinerator, but escapes in the nick of time. Now he's got to save the town. To do so, Headdy has to take on all manner of bad guys and even has to contend with his lifelong nemesis, Trouble Bruin the bear. Can Headdy overcome all his foes and take down Dark Demon?

Drop Off (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): Brave five rounds of haunting, nightmarish dreams in this take on the classic arcade puzzler. To save his dearly beloved from the malicious demon that controls her dreams and holds her captive, our brave hero plunges himself into the nightmare to vanquish this evil foe. Deftly use the arrow items and control the angle of the ball to shatter the blocks that descend from the top of the screen. Set your sights on the joints holding the blocks together and knock off multiple blocks in one exhilarating blow. As you drop more and more blocks, their shapes will change, allowing you to earn bonus points. You must use your concentration and reflexes to defeat the demon and save your beloved.

Star Soldier is the original game that spawned all of the titles in the long-running Soldier series.

Aug. 6, 2007

What makes a game truly classic? Is it unforgettable graphics or timeless characters? Is it crisp realism or mesmerizing fantasy realms? The answer, of course, is all of the above, and this week's additions to the Wii Shop Channel cover the whole gamut. From wild water sports to heroic puzzling to intergalactic space battles, these newly available titles are proven favorites you'll learn to love all over again on your Wii™.

Today Nintendo adds three new classic games to the popular Wii video game system's Wii Shop Channel. The games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

Wave Race® 64 (Nintendo® 64, 1-2 players, rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): Take to the waves on your own personal watercraft and experience some of the best water effects in video game history. Choose one of four characters, each with his/her own unique abilities and style, and master the game's excellent controls. Make your way through nine courses, each with its own challenges. If the ramps, mines and hairpin turns aren't enough, you'll also have to deal with varying weather conditions that can make the water choppy or cover the course with fog. And if you ever feel like taking a break from racing, then try out Stunt Mode to polish your skills by pulling off handstands, rolls and more. Get good enough and you might even be able to ride a dolphin-just don't get seasick.

ADVENTURES OF LOLO™ (NES®, 1 player, rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): This was the first game in the Eggerland puzzle series to be released in North America. After the love of his life, Lala, is kidnapped by the Great Devil and taken to a haunted castle, our hero Lolo sets out to rescue her. The journey is perilous because the Great Devil's fortress is guarded by a massive army. But Lolo has a few tricks up his sleeve, including a Magic Shot that turns enemies into eggs and an Emerald Framer that shields him from attacks. Combining clever environmental puzzles with tricky enemies and an engaging style, ADVENTURES OF LOLO is a true classic.

GALAGA™ '90 (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): This is an updated version of the classic arcade shooter Galaga. Set in the vast reaches of space, you will fight your way through all 29 rounds to reach the enemies' stronghold on Planet Galaga. Game levels consist of a few rounds with changing enemies and backgrounds. To top it off, the nostalgic "Galactic Dancing" lives on to mark the end of each level. With the new addition of dimensions, you can choose your attack route. Collect capsules and open dimension warps at branch sections to take on even tougher enemies. GALAGA '90's inclusion of the triple fighter, scrolling backgrounds, boss Galaga and even new system effects make it nothing less than a masterpiece.

My big problem with Wave Race 64 is the soundtrack. Specifically, there's one point when the music sounds just like the "you're gonna make it after all!" tune from the Mary Tyler Moore show. Listen for it as you play, you'll hear it. It repeats every couple of minutes as the music loops. And if you and I are of the same species, it will also drive you completely and dangerously apesh*t. The last time I tried to play Wave Race 64, I awoke with a headache in maximum-security prison, and the eight people nearest me never woke again. True story.

Metroid® (NES®, 1 player, rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 500
Wii Points): The first installment of the immensely successful Metroid series
introduces us to the hideous title creatures and the slick, cybernetic bounty
hunter Samus Aran. As Samus, your mission is to penetrate the space pirates'
home planet, Zebes, and keep them from destroying the galaxy with the
dangerous life forms known as Metroids. Metroid has all the high-tech
weaponry, creepy tunnels and crawly alien creatures that anyone could ask for.
With its deep and complex game play, excellent music and a rare sense of
setting, it establishes a frightening ambience that will haunt and entertain
you for a very long time.

Shining in the Darkness™ (Sega Genesis, 1 player, rated E for Everyone – Mild
Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): Dark Sol has vowed to reign over the
enchanted Kingdom of Thornwood, and only you can stop him. Find the powerful
Arms of Light and battle the deadly beasts that keep your people desperate and
starving in this epic journey for peace. Roaming the dark Labyrinth, you'll
seek out enemies and collect weapons, all of which will help you pass the test
of the Ancients and become a shining knight. Get into the adventure with a
stunning 3-D perspective, amazing cinematic views and fast-paced scrolling.
You'll move from battle to battle, solving puzzles and discovering secret
items in this engrossing struggle between good and evil.

Cratermaze™ (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, rated E for Everyone – Comic Mischief,
600 Wii Points): Cratermaze is a comical action game set in a parallel world.
While on a trip through time, you and your friends are confronted by Kublai,
henchman to the evil Zenzombie. He traps your friends at separate points in
the space-time continuum. Now you must fight your way through 60 rounds of
mazes to save your friends. Dinosaurs, ninjas, robots and other enemies lurk
within the mazes, spanning from primitive times to the future. Escape the
enemies by digging holes to trap them in and then filling the holes to finish
them off. Collect all the chests within the time limit to get the key and exit
to the next round. With special items such as shovels and spring platforms,
Cratermaze takes its game play to new heights, making for an unforgettable
gaming experience.

I think I'm going to have to grab Metroid and Shining in the Darkness. I'm a sucker for Metroid, and for RPGs.

I've been playing Super Metroid on my SNES again. It still rocks, so much.