The Release List 08.18.09: Melty Blood: Actress Again, Domino Rally, Shuffle!, and Osmos Posted by Tommy Coloma on 08.18.2009
Ecole brings us yet another oddly-named fighter in Melty Blood: Actress Again, UFO Interactive finally releases the very niche Domino Rally, MangaGamer takes a step towards making visual novels mainstream with Shuffle!, and Hemisphere proves that playing with blobs is fun with Osmos.
This week's biggest releases are probably going to be Wolfenstein and Shadow Complex. I'm usually on top of release schedules and even I didn't know that Wolfenstein was set to come out this week, which shows how much that series has fallen by the wayside over the years. But the name still has some value amongst those who were around during the series' heyday, so that'll help. As for Shadow Complex, I'll probably get it down the line even though it's more or less a soulless rip-off of Super Metroid. I really hope that it does well and gets more people into 2D Metroidvania-type games as its success could finally convince Nintendo that a console 2D Metroid will sell. Or better yet, it might get Konami to greenlight a console 2D Castlevania. One of those had better happen, because it would be a shame if Shadow Complex ends up being the only Metroidvania game that the younger generation knows about.
This week's highlightsNote: Release dates are subject to change
Domino Rally (Wii)
In Domino Rally, you control Minon, a hero who has the ability to conjure up dominoes that he can walk on. Players help him by using the Wii remote's pointer to create paths for the dominoes. Minon can only go left, right, and straight and must be in constant motion, so you have to think fast if you want him to survive. You can actually stop Minon in his tracks by pressing the A button, but while stopped, you must keep him balanced by tilting the Wii remote appropriately. The game makes use of both the pointer and motion control in a non-tacked-on way (at least it looks that way), which is something that we can all appreciate.
Domino Rally was first released in Japan two years ago under then name Go! Go! Minon and in Europe a few months back as Minon: Everyday Hero. The fact that it took a little while to reach our shores isn't much of a surprise as it is a fairly niche title. I just hope that it sells well enough so that UFO Interactive can continue to bring us quirky titles like this in the future.
the European trailer
gameplay footage
Melty Blood: Actress Again (PS2 Import)
The original Melty Blood came out for the PC back in 2002. The story and characters were based on Tsukihime, a visual novel created by Type-Moon (the in-game story takes place about a year after the events in Tsukihime). Some are under the impression that Melty Blood borrowed heavily from Guilty Gear X, but in reality, the game took many of its cues from the Queen of Heart fighting game series. In fact, Queen of Heart '98 was released by French-Bread, then called Watanabe Seisakujo, in 1998, a few months BEFORE the first Guilty Gear saw the light of day. The sequel, Melty Blood: Act Cadenza, came out three years ago and did pretty well for itself. It was even featured at Super Battle Opera, which is pretty good considering its humble roots as a doujin game. Actress Again, the newest revision, added new characters, the ability to choose from three different fighting styles, a guard crush meter, and a wider play area.
This PS2 port further adds balance tweaks and voiced cutscenes as well as the ability to play as Ryougi Shiki from Kara no Kyoukai. So, this should be the definitive version of the game, at least until Ecole releases another arcade revision or PC port.
gameplay footage
Shuffle! (PC)
Even though this is a visual novel for the eighteen-and-over crowd, I thought that it was worth mentioning simply because of how big the series is compared to everything else that's been legitimately brought over so far. It's still no Fate/stay night and I don't even think it's as big as Tsukihime, but maybe if Shuffle! sells well, MangaGamer will be able to convince Type-Moon that there is a market over here for its titles.
the intro movie
MangaGamer's introduction to Bishōjo games
Osmos (PC download) Osmos has you playing as a blob whose goal is to both absorb other blobs of lesser size and avoid blobs that are larger than itself. Absorbing blobs causes you to grow larger, giving you the ability to absorb others that had previously been dangerous. Movement is done by ejecting yourself, which in turn makes you smaller. So, you really have to think ahead when deciding whether or not it is worth trying to take over another blob or even if you should move at all since the act of moving may cause you to shrink to the point where blobs that were once safe to approach are now a threat. This is a pretty neat concept that shows that the indy scene still has much to offer.
the trailer
Shorts (DS)
I would normally have skipped this, but the game was developed by A2M, a company which was responsible for some decent GBA and DS side-scrolling platformers.
Shorts is a 2D platformer based on the movie of the same name. I didn't know that the movie existed until today and I will probably never see it, but the game looks like it has something to offer thanks to its use of touch screen controls - in particular, the ability to draw platforms that you can use to get to otherwise inaccessible places. It could be worth a pickup for old-school platform junkies like myself once it reaches bargain-bin status at Target or TRU.
gameplay footage
The other US releases Army Rescue (Wii)
ATV Quad Kings (Wii)
Joint Operations: Combined Arms (PC)
My Dress-Up (DS)
My Friends (DS)
My Make-Up (DS)
Paws & Claws Pet Vet (Wii)
Pizza Morgana: Monsters and Manipulations in the Magical Forest (PC download) - http://pizza-morgana.com/home-launch7
Plants vs. Zombies (PC)
Raven Squad: Hidden Dagger (360, PC)
Shadow Complex (360 download)
Spectrobes: Origins (Wii)
Still Life 2 (PC)
Sudoku Ball - Detective (DS,Wii)
Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 2: The Siege of Spinner Cay (PC download)
Wolfenstein (PS3, 360, PC)
World Championship Athletics (Wii)
The Import SceneJapanese localizations of domestic games, "Asia" versions of games that do not have English options, and "Best" (greatest hits) versions of already released games are ignored.
L2: Love x Loop (PS2)
S.Y.K.: Shinsetsu Saiyuuki (PS2)
Live Battle Card: Live-On DS (DS)
Heart no Kuni no Alice (PSP)
Kiniro no Corda 2 f Encore (PSP)
Ookami Kakushi (PSP)
Saikyou Toudai Shogi Deluxe (PSP)
