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29 January — Virtual Console Update |
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It’s the last update of the month and would you believe it? Four games! That’s more games than US/Can, EU/NZ/Au, and Japan received on the last three updates combined! Well, at least a very slow month is wrapping up with a blast. The easy winner of the bunch is Phantasy Star II, because the VC is starved of RPGs, and this is one of the best in the Genesis’ answer to Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. Then we have two shoot ‘em ups, a genre that is already quite prolific on the VC. Super R-Type (SNES) draws from the original two games in the series, but somehow it doesn’t have the awe represented by the original or the sophistication of the already-available R-Type III. Then there’s CD Denjin: Rockabilly Tengoku (a.k.a. the CD sequel to Air Zonk), which somehow fails to fully take advantage of the medium, fails to push the original game in new gameplay directions, and lacks the excellent parallax scrolling of the original. Finally, there’s Mappy, a first generation NES game with gameplay that cannot begin to compensate for antiquated graphics and sound. |
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28 January — Virtual Console Update |
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The theme of the new year (light on quantity) continues, but I’m alright with that as long as the overall quality remains high, so I can deal with this one-game update. Japan got it on the 15th, Europeans and Island-based Anglos got it on the 18th, and it’s nice to see the title finally making it to the US of A. I’ve already raved about this game twice this month, so not much more needs to be said. While there are already a few excellent racing games for the VC (think Wave Race 64, F-Zero, and Super Mario Kart), this one can cheat and call itself a sports title as well. Not only does it do a great job of meshing realism with arcade fun, it also represents one of the finest snowboarding games ever created, period. If you’re a fan or racing or snowboarding, you should be all over this one. |
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25 January — Virtual Console Update |
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The theme of the new year (light on quantity) continues, but I’m alright with that as long as the overall quality remains high, so I can deal with this one-game update. Japan got it on the 15th, Europeans and Island-based Anglos got it on the 18th, and it’s nice to see the title finally making it to the US of A. I’ve already raved about this game twice this month, so not much more needs to be said. While there are already a few excellent racing games for the VC (think Wave Race 64, F-Zero, and Super Mario Kart), this one can cheat and call itself a sports title as well. Not only does it do a great job of meshing realism with arcade fun, it also represents one of the finest snowboarding games ever created, period. If you’re a fan or racing or snowboarding, you should be all over this one. |
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22 January — Virtual Console Update |
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Only one title. 'Nuff said. Worst virtual console update ever for Japan? Surprisingly, I don't think so. This gem of a classic game was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto. Shame on you if you don't recognize the name. He is the greatest creator/designer in the history of video games. The 80+ games credited to him include Super Mario Bros. 3, The Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario Kart. Anyway, Devil World is a Maze game that is reminiscent of Pac-Man with a few significant twists. The maze has borders that are constantly on the move, directed by—drumroll—a demon, and you can shoot fireballs to temporarily destroy your enemies. Once you get past the primitive—even by NES standards—graphics and sounds, you'll find gameplay that is actually very original and captivating. |
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21 January — Virtual Console Update |
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There are already two other SFII versions available for the SNES, but this game is so amazing and the ports back in the day were so awesome that New Challengers grabs the headlining spot yet again. You've got the same great gameplay, but the classic characters have some new and tweaked moves, but the real excitement is the addition of four brand new fighers. Don't underestimate its pint-sized blue blob that stars in Adventures of Lolo 2 (actually part of the Eggerland series—history buffs take note). It's virtually identical to the first game, only its a little more challenging and there's a boss fight at the end. Nevertheless, this is a very solid and highly underrated puzzle game that is well worth checking out. |
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18 January — Virtual Console Update |
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The virtual console is once again a little light on quantity; just two new games for this update. Of corse, I'm not really complaining. As long as at least one of the games is excellent, I don't care about quantity. Also included this week is Riot Zone (TG-CD). As forgiving as I can be towards the beat 'em up genre, my best advice on this title is to spend your Wii points on Streets of Rage 2 instead and spare your Wii the burden of holding this large originally CD ROM-based title. As an American, my final words can only be that 1080 Snowboarding better damn well come to the North American VC this Monday.. |
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