The animation section was long
overdue for some new content, as well as a new layout.
Fortunately, I've rectified both issues, and went one step
further by adding commentary to some of the older
reviews. If you love cartoons, and I suspect that you
do, I highly recommend you give the page a peek.
Now onto the video games! While shopping for the
Playstation 2 version of Soul Calibur 2 (it's going to
be prominently featured in the upcoming crossover
special), I was able to give the Playstation 3 version of
Skate a quick spin. I heard that the game was a
departure from the Tony Hawk series, but I didn't realize just
HOW different it would be from Activision's long-running
extreme sports series.
Playing Skate was like trying to learn to ride a bike all
over again. Instead of simple button presses, you've got
to use the two thumbsticks in concert to control both your
skater and his board. It's more complicated than Tony
Hawk, yet also more intuitive. Somehow, flicking the
right thumbstick down, then up to jump just makes sense.
I had the chance to buy Skate several months ago, but
passed because I wasn't sure I'd be able to adapt to a new
control scheme. Now I'm starting to regret that
decision. As much as the media would like you to believe
otherwise, Skate is not a Tony Hawk killer. It covers
the same ground, but does it in such a completely different
way that both games can exist harmoniously. It's
entirely possible to enjoy them both, although I suspect that
it will take a lot more work to master Skate.
While I was out, I also picked up a copy of Link's Crossbow
Training (sans the ugly-ass "Zapper" that was originally
packaged with it) and Zack and Wiki, that celebrated sleeper
hit which stands out as one of the best games in the otherwise
lackluster Wii software library. I haven't tried either
game yet, but I'm itching to break out Link's Crossbow
Training just to put that long-neglected Perfect Shot
through its paces.
Monday's debut of the Wii Ware channel will give me yet
another excuse to rouse my system from its lengthy
hibernation. A lot of the games look
disconcertingly amateur, like Pop and
Defend the Castle, but I'd be willing to take a
chance on Lost Winds, and the Final Fantasy spin-off
looks surprisingly gorgeous for such a small download.
Too bad it's a territorial development simulation, rather than
the overhead view action that people have come to expect from
Crystal Chronicles...
All right, that's enough outta me. Before I go, have
an Awesome NES update!
This time, the two Ghostbusters games are the topic of
discussion, along with Ghengis Khan, Ghosts 'n Goblins,
and the frankly puzzling Gilligan's Island. Who the heck
thought this would be a great subject for a video game,
anyway? It wasn't even a good television
show! The biggest laugh I got from this stupid sitcom
was when half its cast was arrested for smoking dope.
Yikes! I completely forgot to update Awesome
NES yesterday. Oh well, better
late than never, right? This time, we're marching into
battle with G.I. Joe and its sequel, then taking to the skies
with the arcade classic Galaga and the less famous but still
reasonably entertaining Galaxy 5000.
As promised earlier, I'm also dipping my toe into the
YouTube scene after a three month hiatus. Here's a preview of my next
feature, which should be finished sometime next week.
Just a friendly reminder, folks... even when I don't
have anything to say on the front page, I'm still updating Awesome NES twice a
week. I'm closing out the Fs with reviews of Flying
Dragon, Freedom Force, and that crown jewel of everyone's NES
collection, Friday the 13th. Conventional wisdom states
that it's hard to express sarcasm on the Internet, but I'm
pretty sure that bit of snark came through loud and
clear...
Now that I'm out of college for the summer, I'm thinking
about investing some of that newfound free time in video
reviews. It's been close to three months since I've
updated my YouTube page, and I'm getting that itch to make
more content. However, there's a possibility that I'll
shift production over to Revver. It offers superior
video quality, as well as a mature audience that's less
likely to gawk at the latest online train wrecks.
Actually, they're less likely to look at anything due
to the site's relatively small user base, but anything's
an improvement over getting a constant stream of
nasty comments claiming that I suck because I'm not
enough like that Angry Video Game Nerd jerk.
I'm getting rather bitter so I'd better end this
update. See you on Thursday... same Blitz time, same
Blitz channel!
Now that Grand Theft Auto 4 has been released, you're
probably expecting me to go on some long, obnoxious rant about
the game being exactly the same as the half dozen that
came before it, that the graphics still look clumsy
and robotic despite the next-generation polish, and that you
might as well use your empty skull as a flowerpot if you'd
even consider purchasing it.
I'm not going to do that, though. The fact is, people
are going to buy this game regardless of what I think of
it. The only thing I can do is offer an oasis from the
avalanche of Rockstar-fueled hype on other gaming sites.
To that end, I'm adding a handful of reviews to the Atari
5200 page, and working on an update to
Fighter's Misery that should be worth the (long, looooong)
wait. It's coverage that's 100% retro, and 0% Grand
Theft Auto!
There's been a lot of discussion lately about what
makes a video game a video game. Epic
Megagames is convinced that the
secret ingredient is progressively realistic
visuals. Bioware thinks that
narrative is that defining characteristic. However,
neither of those elements were important in the
early 1980's, when games first found a mainstream
audience. Back then, storyline was a quaint novelty, and
graphics were merely functional; simple icons meant to
represent concrete objects. This leads me to
ask... shouldn't the sole determining factor of
a video game be the game itself?
On a related note, I wish companies like Epic and
Bioware would spend less time trying to find ways to
invalidate the Wii as a game system and more time supporting
it. Bioware claims that the Wii isn't powerful enough to
offer a deep storyline in its games (conveniently
forgetting the Infocom adventure games that managed to do it
on far less capable hardware), and Epic doesn't even bother
with an explanation, instead cutting the Wii in half with a
chainsaw at industry events. Come on, guys. It's
been nearly two years, and the fad prediction hasn't panned
out. The Wii is the current industry leader,
and will remain that way for some time; possibly for
the remainder of the console cycle. If you want your
companies to remain financially healthy and culturally
relevant, you need to swallow your pride and hop aboard the
Wii train before it leaves you behind.
Anyway... the Awesome NES
page has been updated. This time, we're covering all the
Es, ranging from Elevator Action to Excitebike. Also, be
sure to try Eliminator Boat Duel if you
ever get the chance! You probably missed it the
first time around, but it's never too late to see what you've
been missing!
Dragons are the stars of the show in this installment
of Awesome NES. We've
covered the first three games in the venerable Dragon Warrior
(or is it Dragon Quest...?) series, along with Dragon Fighter,
Dragon Power, and "Smells Like" Dragon Spirit. Oh yeah,
there's also Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, but you don't want
that.
Speaking of the good old NES, River City Ransom is finally
being released on the American Virtual Console service, along
with the loose NES conversion of Double Dragon and the
much-maligned Renegade. I see this game get kicked
around by other gamers and I still don't understand why... it
doesn't have the impact of Technos' other Kunio games, but
it's perfectly playable and a great deal better than its
Western-designed "sequel." Target: Renegade...
yeesh!
One last thing before I go. Japanese Wii owners can
now play their favorite Virtual Console titles with a Super
NES controller, the way nature
intended! The replica controller plugs into the bottom
of the Wiimote and looks just like the real thing, without any
unusually shaped buttons (cue the picture of Hori's
digital controller for the
GameCube). It's a step in the right direction, but what
I'd really like to see is a six button Sega Genesis
controller; one that could connect to the bottom of the Wii
without any pesky cables to get in the way of the
action. Throw in Thrustmaster's mapping feature and
you've got yourself the ultimate controller for this or any
other game system!
