It finally arrived! Yes, a Virtual Console game Nintendo fanboys can rejoice over.
The past few weeks have actually been pretty solid for those who love all things retro... Mega Man made an appearance and some prominent non-Nintendo games peaked out of the bushes. However, today is a big day because we finally can buy Super Mario RPG without scouring eBay for a... deal. So if you've got 800 Wii points lying around, send them off to Nintendo... you probably won't be disappointed, unless you're a RPG hater like me. Eh, I'm getting it eventually... I can't pass up a game so highly touted as one of the best SNES games ever.
Sorry, Clu Clu Land... but you've been overshadowed yet again.
Gamers always strive to humiliate their opponents in humorous ways... some like to shoot 100 rounds of ammo through a person's face before their character fades away, some perform a little jig on top of the dude, others just stick to classic taunting. The real assholes, however, love to stick their junk in your face. Oh tea-baggers... you entertain us with your squatting.
Alright, I couldn't think of anything good today, but I gave it a shot.
Well, I'm not going to make a lot of friends with this topic, but I hate the entire concept of remakes. There is just something about remaking a classic game, or any game for that matter, that seems unnatural and unnecessary. A lot of gamers salivate over remakes of great classic games, but I wonder what the big deal is. Sure, it keeps Square Enix nice and busy as they remake their entire back catalog for the DS, but why do we flock to remakes?
Well, there are 3 reasons why remakes exist.
Appeasement.
Writer's block.
The almighty dollar.
Let's start with the first reason. I think it's safe to say that the majority of us have played a remake. I do have my copy of Super Mario All-Stars to prove I played one. A company like Capcom or Square Enix releases a remake of one of their big blockbuster games and now the people want another. Once those Final Fantasy remakes started rolling in, the gaming community started asking about a Final Fantasy VII remake. Even Giant Bomb got in the action with one of the questions of the day... now Brad Shoemaker wants a Strider remake. It's true that people are clamoring for another Final Fantasy VII or an updated Super Metroid, but I don't see the reason for it.
What about the developers? Why would they want to remake a classic when they can just release a straight port and use the rest of their resources on an original game? Well, sometimes a group of people can't think of anything new and fresh to make so they decide to spin a wheel and whatever it lands on, they'll update it. I think Resident Evil 2 is next in line.
Of course, it really comes down to money in the end. Remakes shouldn't be too expensive to make since the template is already there... most of the updates are merely cosmetic in nature. Take a game like Dragon Quest, slap it in a 3D world, and watch the people buy it in droves.
My hatred for remakes is due to my personal preferences and attention to history. If I want to play Mega Man, I'm going straight 8-bit... so I'd opt for the NES version if I had a working NES. I have to settle for the all-in-one compilation via Gamecube or the recent Virtual Console edition. And I still feel dirty playing Mega Man on a Wavebird, but it'll have to suffice. Playing a NES game on a controller that has more than 2 main buttons and an analog stick feels awkward... even using the Wii Remote for NES games just doesn't feel right even if the sideways Wii Remote is very NES-like. Although updated controls aren't needed, I'll accept it just because accessories are harder to duplicate and adding old-school controller peripherals could get pricey.... my beef is mainly with this notion that updated graphics makes it better. Why must we go 3D with many of these RPGs? Why do we need retro games in 1080p? In my opinion, graphical improvements taint the whole classic-ness of these games. I say just leave it alone... we never complained about how Bionic Commando looked in 1988, so why must we play the same game that looks nothing like the original?
So you've probably come to one conclusion... Dalai doesn't do remakes anymore. And that's correct. I'll stick with the straight ports via Virtual Console... although the Classic Controller can't totally sub for the SNES pad... or with the real deal on my current systems. To any gaming developers reading this, all 0 of you, use your resources wisely and make something new and original, fuck even a sequel. Don't give me Mega Man 2: Powered Up.
1 Comments
Hooray for me! I currently have 500 Giant Bomb points! Now all I need is another 500 to free myself of the moderation... or maybe I'll just exchange my points for a Best Buy gift card.
Ugh... I had this brilliantly well-written blog all ready to be released into the wild and silly, clumsy me with the butterfingers accidentally clicked one of those newfangled buttons on the Firefox browser and all was lost. Oh well, fucking shit and all that.
I've wasted many years popping in this cartridge building my own teams from scratch... and I'd do it again.I was going to post how we're seeing all these amazing games that remind me of the games of yesteryear... those 2D games that I grew up with are becoming more popular, even if they look like they're from 2008 and not 1988. I was going to say how games like Braid and Bionic Commando Rearmed might look current on the surface, but have a heart that's 8-bit... but you'll just have to settle for this patchwork piece of crap. I was about to praise Mega Man 9 for going a step further and going truly 8-bit, but you're on your own.
Oh yes, the return of ridiculously idiotic Mega Man weapons.So to put it bluntly, old-school games are awesome and new games that feel old-school are just as great.
As for my dignity, I'll have to go look for it tomorrow. 1 Comments
Something unusual is coming out on the Wii on September 9th... well, a few things are, actually. But, I'm not here to talk about Hell's Kitchen. I'm talking about a game based on the best game show before noon. You know, the game show you watch when you're home sick from school. Yes, The Price Is Right is getting its own game on the Wii. I would say this enhances the shovelware stereotype, but I'm actually a little curious... in a good way. Could we see some hot Plinko action and some responsive Punch a Bunch controls? How about some vintage Cliff Hangers yodeling?
Fuck yeah!
Bob Barker must be rolling over in his grave. 3 Comments
Wait... why should I? I've beat the game at least 7 or 8 times already. This will be my first time beating it on the VC... yes, I own the original cartridge and the VC version.
And note to self for next week, do a Super Metroid speedrun... shoot for 100% in under 2 hours. I'm not a speedrunning pro, but I'm good enough.
And a correction... it's not Monolith, but Monolith Soft. It has nothing to do with Project Origin. Sorry for any false optimism.
Nintendo has been teasing us with this potential gem for over 2 years now and it's been getting some press lately. First, Australia decides to rate the game... and an M rating at that. Is Nintendo growing that pair of balls they lost after canning Project H.A.M.M.E.R.? It's too early to tell, I guess.
However, there is some hope thanks to some nameless dude at Nintendo of America. It's still in development. Seriously, it's still in the works. Oh happy day! Wait... is there a release date? No there isn't... wonderful.
Hey Monolith, I'm not saying to hurry it up... but at least throw us a bone, or lots of videos and screenshots, alright? I want to see more.
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