The Negative Edge News Report 12.20.06
Posted by Tommy Coloma on 12.20.2006
Playing Japanese Virtual Console games, my dislike for exclusives, why being first is important, why Tetris DS isn’t all that, and more!
I finally finished Final Fantasy XII over the weekend. It only took me a little over 83 hours to finish it. Yeah - I'm slow. Since I'm now working I don't know if I can stand playing these long-ass RPGs on a regular basis any more. I might have to just save them for marathon play-sessions during 3-day weekends or something like that. That probably wouldn't work though. I don't want to be forced to rush through a game just so that I can finish. Playing games should not be work! Sometimes I miss being unemployed. If only I had better time management skills...
The news as I see it
Datel's FreeLoader for the Wii
According to GameSpot, Datel is creating a Wii version of the FreeLoader. The FreeLoader will allow people to play import games on their systems.
One of the more exciting aspects of the Wii (I still don't have one!) for me is the Virtual Console. Yeah, I can download and play all the games available there on my PC but playing games on a computer isn't the same as playing them on a TV in my living room. Unfortunately, it seems that the people in America keep are getting screwed out of all the good VC games. Just compare the releases in America to the releases in Japan. Pathetic! It would be nice to be able to download and play games from different regions. Language wouldn't be a problem for a lot of the games. Unless it's an RPG, it most likely does not require a lot of reading. Contra III? R-Type III? Super Mario World? I think I can survive without the translation. I can even make up the dialog as I play. Too bad there is no way for American Wiis to download Japanese VC games. The only way to get Japanese VC games in America would be to download them with a Japanese Wii. This is were the FreeLoader would come in handy. If it allows Japanese Wiis to play American games then it would be perfect for a person that is mostly interested in the Virtual Console. Since Wiis on eBay go for more than $400, it would actually cost less to import one from a site like NCSX or Play-Asia than to get one now. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if the systems will work with our outlets like import DS Lites. If Lik-Sang was still around (thank you Sony) I would have been able to ask in their forums. I'm actually considering importing this since I'm more into 2D games anyway. By the time Datel comes out with the Wii Freeloader, there might actually be some Wii games that I would be interested in. If I do take the plunge I'll make sure to give you guys a rundown on how everything works out.
Metal Gear Solid 4 on the 360?
There is a rumor floating around that Metal Gear Solid 4 will be released on the PS3 and then on the 360 a few months later. Konami recently denied these rumors but if sales end up being very low I hope they reconsider. I don't think that it's any secret that I hate exclusives. I can understand first-party exclusives, but for a third-party publisher to only release a game on one system these days is really bad financially considering how much it costs to make games these days. Also, it's unfair to make gamers buy multiple systems just so that they can play the franchises that they want. Maybe back in the day during the Genesis and SNES days it was ok but those systems didn't throw people into poverty like today's higher end systems. This is one situation where I hope greed prevails. Konami, Square-Enix, and any other company that is usually loyal to Sony - please unleash the green-eyed monster that we know lurks within and release your games on multiple systems.
A little bit of randomness
A few weeks ago I was sick so I spent the whole day in front of the TV watching a Monk marathon that the USA Network was having. The show had been going on since 2002 but I only started watching it a few months back. This was one of the only shows that I watched over the summer. It's fairy entertaining. In the episodes that I had already seen, Monk had an assistant named Natalie. However, in some of the episodes during the marathon, Monk had a different assistant named Sharona. For some odd reason, I didn't like the episodes that she was in as much as the ones that Natalie was in. Sharona wasn't bad, but I just wasn't digging her that much. Actually, I think that I got out of my seat more often during the episodes that she was in. I'm guessing that this has to do with the fact that I started out with Natalie first. I got comfortable watching the shows with her. It was the opposite for those that started to watch the show when it first began. During one of the commercial breaks I took a look at the Wikipedia entry for the show and found that there was an uproar when Sharona was replaced during the third season. They got used to the character and didn't like the change. This got me thinking about how I tend to like newer games in a franchise a little less than their predecessors. Take any new Castlevania games. The first one that I really got into was Symphony of the Night. No matter how good the newer GBA and DS games are, I honestly don't think that any of them is better than Symphony. They don't seem to play as well. How about Mega Man 2, the first MM game that I owned and beat? You can hand me the entire Mega Man library and I would still end up playing #2 first because to me that is still the best one. So, do you prefer older games in your favorite franchises and if so, is it because they really are better or is it because you got used to them first?
Oh yeah, there's a special black and white episode of Monk this Friday. Seeing as how it's a new episode at the end of December, I though that it was worth mentioning. I guess this wasn't as random as I thought...
What did you say?
I got two emails that I'd like to respond to but I didn't have enough time to get to them today. One was about cop violence and the other was about video game crossovers. I'll probably get to them next week or the week after. If you're the ones that sent me those emails, know that I'm not ignoring you. I'm just looking at my bed and wishing that I was in it. I would like to respond to something else though -
Last week I talked about how Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony should have more rare games such as Rondo of Blood and the Tengen version of Tetris in their download services. I didn't go that much into it last week, but since Shawn pointed it out in The Code Games News Report, I thought that I'd elaborate on it a little here - there is probably no way that Nintendo would allow the Tengen version of Tetris to be released on their Virtual Console. Then again, I never thought that Sonic would be Eh-eh-eh-EH-VURR :) be on a Nintendo console either. Let's re-visit this subject when the Wii's successor comes out. If Nintendo doesn't do it, maybe Microsoft would be willing to add that version of the game to Live. Do they even have a Tetris game for download yet? The music in the Tengen version kicks ass and the two player coop mode is tons of fun. The Tetris Company would probably force them to add all that new junk like the "easy spin" feature but I think that the music alone would make it worth the purchase. Actually, if it's on the 360 then they could release any version of Tetris and we can just upload and play the music from both the Nintendo and Tengen versions of the game. Nice!
What were they thinking?
Tetris DS
Speaking of Tetris games, why doesn't the online portion of Tetris DS reward people for speed? I played a lot of games online, putting away multiple lines or Tetrises as fast as I can, and I noticed that some of the people that I played against just took their sweet time. After a few games I figured out why. Whenever I cleared a bunch of lines, instead of throwing random pieces in my opponent's screen like older Tetris games did, Tetris DS will create solid blocks with gaps that allow my opponents to throw in an L shape or long piece for the quick counter. What kind of bullshit is that? The game is supposed to reward the player who puts away the most pieces faster, not give the opponent a free counter. And why hasn't anyone complained about this? I only see praise for the game when its clear that it should be dinged heavily for this crap. Also, why isn't there an option to play the music from the NES version. The only way to hear at least one of them is to get really far in one of the special modes and the only reason I got that far was because I abused the "easy spin" feature. Lame! It's all about OG NES Tetris or Tengen's Tetris.
The first article that I wrote for this site was a preview for Melty Blood: Act Cadenza for the PS2. The game has only been released in Japan and it looks like it's never going to released here. Maybe if Tsukihime (the anime that contains the characters from the game) had been more popular there might have been a chance but now it looks like that won't happen. Here is a great picture of two of the characters from the game and anime.
That will be 255 rupees please!
$100 off an Xbox 360 at Micro Center
This is probably old news for many of you, but I'll mention it anyway. Micro Center stores now have a special where you can get $100 off of a purchase of either version of the Xbox 360. That means you can get the Core system for $199 and the Premium one for $299. You'll get a rebate in the mail which, according to the form, will take 8-12 weeks to process. If you happen to live near a Micro Center and can stand to wait that long for your rebate then this is an awesome deal. You can check out the store locations here. The rebates can be downloaded here. This offer expires at the end of the month. Have fun!
