The Release List 05.12.09: Raiden Fighters Aces, Help Wanted, and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2

Posted by Tommy Coloma on 05.12.2009

Shmup fans rejoice as the 360 gets a Raiden collection at a budget price, MegaTen fans are blessed with another chance to fight alongside Jack Frost on the PS2, and the Wii gets a collection of job-themed mini-games in Hudson's Help Wanted.



I took a break last week since there really weren't enough good domestic releases that were worth talking about and it was Golden Week in Japan so I couldn't pad the column with imports either. The only bright spot was the Klonoa remake, so I put a few notes about it down below. Things have picked up a little this week, though the selection still leaves much to be desired. Expect things to remain this way in the weeks leading up to E3. Actually, expect it to last for a few months after as well since most publishers have yet to comprehend that people do want good games during the summer.


This week's highlights

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Note: Release dates are subject to change


Raiden Fighters Aces (360)
This vertical shooter compilation contains all three games in the Raiden Fighters series (Raiden Fighters, Raiden Fighters 2: Operation Hell Dive, and Raiden Fighters Jet). As one would expect, you have a fire button as well as one for launching bombs. Holding down the fire button causes your ship to charge up for a more powerful attack. For the most part, the games play like your typical old-school arcade shooter, but in this case, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. As much as I appreciate all the gimmicks that many recent shooters employ, it is pretty nice to be able to play a more "traditional" one every once in a while.

Normally, I'd argue that all three games would be better suited as downloads on XBLA or PSN, but at $20, I'm willing let things slide if it means that I get a physical copy of all three for a little more. While straight-up ports would have been good enough, the developers went the extra mile and included several options like TATE and scanlines. In addition, Valcon pre-patched the US release to version 1.1 and implemented a few other fixes. The only complaint I've found amongst fans is that our leaderboards aren't linked to Japan's. According to those in the know at Valcon's forums, the publisher may look into that, but don't hold your breath. Overall, this is a pretty good collection for the price, especially if you consider yourself a shmup fan.

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Help Wanted (Wii)
Help Wanted is a collection of fifty job-themed mini-games that you can play by yourself or with a friend (oddly, there is no four-player option in sight). The premise is pretty simple - a meteor is headed towards earth and you must earn money so that you can afford the gadgets needed to stop it. As you can see from the video down below, possible jobs range from regular, everyday ones like firefighter and dentist to odd ones like dairy farmer and body builder. The game has already been released in Europe as Job Island: Hard Working People, and judging by the reviews over there, it is pretty hit or miss. Fans say that a majority of the mini-games are much better than one would expect and the character designs are pretty cute while detractors like to point out that it's yet another mini-game collection for the Wii. I guess if you have yet to pick one up, this is as good as or slightly better than any of the other ones we've seen on the system. I'd say that the cow milking and firefighter jobs alone put this one over the top...

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Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs King Abaddon (PS2)
The first PS2 Devil Summoner didn't exactly set the world on fire thanks to it's much maligned combat system (among other things). Here are some of the changes that Atlus implemented in the sequel to remedy fan complaints:

- Raidou is no longer stiff
Atlus made his movements faster and added a rolling dodge to make it easier to get to enemies faster and avoid them quickly when they're attacking.
- More offensive options
You now have unlimited bullets and you can also do combos with your sword. In addition, two demons can be called out at one time.
- Demon negotiations
You must negotiate with the demons to get them to join you. Satisfy their demands and they'll follow you, or fail and face the consequences. It's a nice change that gives us a taste of what older MegaTen titles were like.
- Item crafting
Players can craft stronger weapons using materials they've picked up.
- Your choices affect the ending
The things you do affect your alignment (Law, Neutral, and Chaos), which in turn affects your demons and the ending you get. This throwback to the older games adds weight to everything you do.

Even if you were disappointed with the first game, you should check Devil Summoner 2 out as Atlus' improvements help to make it a much more enjoyable experience. Or, if you missed the first one and don't feel like hunting down a copy, I'm pretty sure that you can get by with just playing this.



The other US releases

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Battlestations: Pacific (360, PC)
Desktop Tower Defense (DS)
Dreamer: Shop Owner (DS)
Fantasy Aquarium World (Wii)
Girl Time (DS)
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus (Wii)
Hinterland: Orc Lords (PC)
History Great Empires Rome (DS)
Mission Runway (DS)
My Farm Around the World (DS)
Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball (Wii)
Puzzle Kingdoms (Wii)
Rollin' Rascals (DS)
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel (360, PS3)
Short Track Racing: Trading Paint (PS2)
Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Complete Edition (PC)


The Import Scene

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Note: Japanese localizations of domestic titles, "Asia" version of games that do not have English options, and "Best" (greatest hits) versions of already released games are ignored.

Winning Eleven Playmaker 2009 (Wii)
Arcobaleno! (PS2)
Rakushou! Pachi-Slot Sengen 6: Rio 2 Cruising Vanadis (PS2)
Oshaberi Oumu (DS)
Bleach: Heat the Soul 6 (PSP)
Growlanser (PSP)


Last week's releases

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Klonoa (Wii)
This is a remake of Klonoa: Door to Phantomile for the PS1. The original is often cited as being one of the first games to do 2.5D right. As a platformer, it was actually pretty good, though a little bit on the easy side. In much of the game you'll find yourself grabbing enemies and either throwing them at other enemies or throwing them down to initiate double-jumps. Using enemies as springboards is necessary for solving some of the simple puzzles the game throws at you. Unfortunately, other than the PS2 sequel and the volleyball offshoot, the other games in the series have been relegated to handhelds. This remake marks Klonoa's return to form not only as a console game, but also as a 2.5D platformer (obviously, the GBA and Wonderswan could not handle 3D backgrounds). It's just too bad that this had to be a remake. But I'm pretty sure that many missed it the first time around, so at least they get a chance to try out an enhanced version.



Last week's other US releases

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Crysis: Maximum Edition (PC)
Imagine: Music Fest (DS)
Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust (PS3)
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (Wii)
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (DS, Wii, 360)
Sherlock Holmes Chronicles (PC)
The Destiny of Zorro (Wii)