The Negative Edge News Report 01.09.08

Posted by Tommy Coloma on 01.09.2008

Super Smash Bros. Brawl alternatives, Microsoft's apology, thirty more hours with one of the best RPGs in recent years, phallic Wii peripherals, this week's releases, and More!



I spent way too much time making the title image up above. I think it turned out ok. What do you think?


The Music Box

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The rain was coming down hard here in California when I was trying to think of this week's song. At first it was a distraction, but in the end things worked out perfectly as the weather reminded me that one of the greatest rain-filled sequences in video game history also has some great background music to go along with it. In Stage 2-2 of this particular game, an otherwise typical platforming level is transformed into one of the most satisfying levels to play through thanks in large part to the awesomeness of this song and the way in which wind and rain are used to "push" the player into a higher level of awareness.


The News As I See It

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Surprise! The games that you asked for sold the most!

Major Nelson recently put up a list of the top Xbox Live Arcade games for 2007 and, to the surprise of no one that frequented arcades in the late eighties and early nineties, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ended up being the top selling game of the year. Worms took second place. While I knew it was going to be up there, I wasn't expecting it to be that high. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night at third place, on the other hand, was no surprise as we all knew that SOTN was also going to sell well.

Now, as much as I like the fact that Microsoft and Live Arcade developers are starting to open up and bring out the games that people are actually asking for such as TMNT and Symphony of the Night as well as upcoming games like REZ and Ikaruga, I still feel that they aren't taking the opinions of gamers as seriously as they should. Radiant Silvergun, Guardian Heroes, the X-Men arcade game, The Simpsons arcade game, Alien vs. Predator, Final Fight, the shooters that appeared on the Dreamcast after its death, all those 2D fighters that keep appearing on the PS2 in Japan (ok, that's probably just me) - the list goes on and on. There are just way too many games that gamers like you and I would buy in a second. We've expressed interest in them time and time again, but for some reason, those with the ability to put them out in downloadable form don't want to listen. It's beyond annoying. My suggestion - just keep bitching about it. Eventually, they'll get the hint.

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Your alternatives to Super Smash Bros. Brawl

A few days ago someone asked me if there were any other fighting games to look forward to in 2008 other than Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Unfortunately, I've been a little out of it as far as new fighters go since I got Melty Blood and Arcana Heart. It doesn't help that I just picked up KOF XI, Neo Geo Battle Coliseum, Tekken 5 DR, and Virtua Fighter 5. At this point, I just want to get semi-decent at those games before I look into other fighters. Fortunately, Gamercafe recently put up a list of the games that will be making an appearance at this year's Super Battle Opera, so I at least have a list to work off of. Some of the games are old, but most of them are either new or are just about to be released. Since this is SBO that we're talking about, these games are most likely up there as far as popularity and playability go.

Arcana Heart 2

You'll probably enjoy this more if you like Anime since most of the characters cover pretty much any female character category that you'd find in your typical harem show. It plays a little slower than a Guilty Gear X game, but I think that that is a plus.

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core

This is another Guilty Gear X game. They lost me after XX Slash so I have no idea whether or not this is any good. There is a major bug in PS2 version in Japan so if you want to be safe you should consider getting the Wii version. This title has been out for a little while now.

The King of Fighters 98: Ultimate Match

What we've got here is a complete overhaul of what most consider to be the best KOF to date (though some would argue that XI surpasses it). This will be the same game that everyone loves but with updated animations and graphics along with a few new characters. Out of all the games in this list, this is the one that I'm looking forward to the most.

Street Fighter III 3rd Strike / Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo

It wouldn't be a fighting game tournament without these two. If you're into fighting games, you probably have at least one copy of both already.

Tekken 6

I've read reports that say that the juggling system in this iteration is broken. If I remember correctly, juggles can last forever and cause way too much damage. Maybe they'll tone it down in the console versions.

Virtua Fighter 5 Version C

The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game came out before Version C. Nobody knows whether or not an update will be made available in the future. I'd say that it's pretty unlikely. We'll either have to buy the new version at a bargain price in two or three years or we won't get one at all.

Hokuto no Ken

This is the Fist of the North Star fighting game that was made by the makers of the Guilty Gear X series. I believe that a PS2 port was released in Japan already.

Melty Blood: Actress Again

I'd rather see that Fate/Stay Night game that was teased on April Fool's Day last year, but this'll do for now. New to this version is the ability to use three different fighting styles with each character. We also get the obligatory new extra characters that come with most fighting game updates. You can check out that preview that I wrote for the first game back in the day. Just read that and then add what I wrote above and you've got the gist of it.

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Microsoft's apology

It looks like Microsoft decided to compensate all those members who had to suffer through the outages that Xbox Live experienced toward the end of the year by giving out one free Xbox Live Arcade game. Details are still forthcoming.

While it's cool that they're doing this, I think that a more appropriate way for them to atone for the recent problems would be to give a free month or two of Gold membership instead, especially considering the fact that many either don't care for Live Arcade games or already have the ones that they are interested in. This is a bad compromise and more people should be complaining about it. People lost time that they could have spent playing online so they should get that time back. It's as simple as that. The free Live Arcade game could just be a bonus.

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You might get another chance to check out Persona 3

According to EGM (via The Magic Box), Persona 3: FES will be released in the US some time this year. FES was offered as an add-on disc and as part of a special version of Persona 3 in Japan last year. According to the 'pedia, "FES also contains extra costumes and a new weapon synthesis system, twenty-three more Persona, and a 'hard' difficulty setting." There are also about 30 extra hours of gameplay in the form of Episode Aigis, a continuation of the original story where you can play as Aigis to get the "true ending."

I was under the impression that FES was not going to see the light of day in America. That's pretty much why I started Persona 3 instead of waiting. I already put close to seventy hours into the game and it still doesn't look like the ending is in sight (I don't usually rush through my games). It's still fun though and even if I had to start a new game in order to play Aigis' chapter, I'd do it. It's still annoying that I might be forced to do so. If this rumor is true, I hope that they just release the special edition with both Persona 3 and FES integrated with each other. I'm pretty sure that by the time the update is released (if it happens), the original will be impossible to find. I saw three new copies at Sears the other day so I know that right now you still have a chance if you look hard enough. If you haven't tried the game yet and you like JRPGs, you really owe it to yourself to get it while you can. If you can't find it, just hope that Atlus is nice enough to give everyone a second chance.

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The Wii Shaft

Tech Digest came back from CES with some info on a new Wii joystick called the Wii Shaft... Ok. I was going to end it there, but I figured that most of you want to know at least something about the controller, right? Well... It comes in pink... Alright - I got nothing. The description in the official site says that it's a wired controller and that it's compatible with GameCube games. That tells me that it is essentially a GameCube controller that's marketed to the Wii crowd, which is fine. For those of you that want a wireless controller, you should look into getting the Hori Digital Arcade Stick instead (you still have to connect it to your Wii remote though). It is currently going for $50 wherever you can find it. The last time I looked, they had stacks of it at my local Fry's. If you really want a Hori, I suggest that you pick one up now before Super Smash Bros. Brawl comes out. I don't know if the stick is actually going to work correctly with Brawl (do Smash Bros. games allow you to use the d-pad for movement?), but I do know that either way, the stick will disappear once that game comes out and, knowing Hori, you won't see it in stores for at least a year, if ever. Just look at what happened to their 360 DOA stick.

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Valve knows that The Orange Box for the PS3 sucks

As many of you know, the PS3 version of The Orange Box wasn't quite up to par with the ones that were released for other systems. In response, Valve opened up a thread over at their forums in which they have been fielding suggestions on how to improve the game.

Ok. Grab your pitchforks and get the firing squad ready, for I have a revelation - I passed on getting an Xbox 360 and got a PS3 instead. I'll have more on my experiences with this expensive disappointment next week, but just know that as of now, I can't think of a single game that I want to own for this system except for Virtua Fighter 5 (which I eventually got at a bargain-bin price). The only other game that I was considering was The Orange Box. I got The Orange Box through steam but my PC was having trouble handling the pure awesomeness of it so I thought - "If I'm to get one PS3 game, it should be this since the all-powerful Cell should surpass my weak-ass computer." Thankfully, I read about the game beforehand and saved myself the trouble.

Now, I'm glad that Valve is taking the time to fix these problems, but they shouldn't have outsourced it to EA in the first place and, while I can see why they would put more of their resources into making the Xbox 360 version, I think that it would have been better if they released the PS3 version later with their own team or at least after they themselves took a good look at what EA did. As I've found out first-hand, PS3 owners are used to not having any good games in a timely manner. We could have waited.

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Tales of Phantasia: A Non-Revisionist Translation

According to Insert Credit, a fan translation of the PlayStation version of Tales of Phantasia has been released to the public. Apparently, later iterations of the game, including the GBA version that came out a few years ago, incorporated changes that angered many long-time fans. If you happen to fall into that group, or if you just want to enjoy the game in all it's original glory, you can get the patch here. Of course, you'll need a copy of the original game as well as a way to play backups to enjoy this. Sorry, I can't help you there.

There are a bunch of old JRPGs that I'd love to sink my teeth into, which is why I love these types of projects. I just wish that game companies would take advantage of them more often. How hard would it be for Sony or Nintendo to go to the people that do these translations, ask them to share their work, credit them, and then release the games with the translations on their download services? Am I the only one that sees the light?


The Release List

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RPG Maker VX (PC Import)

I tried RPG Maker 2000 a few years ago and I must say that it was a joy to make a ten minute RPG in only a few hours. Those of you who aspire to make video games might want to take a look at this or one of its predecessors. If you want to get a taste of how the program works, you can check out the demo for RPG Maker XP. I believe that you have thirty days to mess around with it. The English version of RPG Maker VX comes out in February.

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Wipeout Pulse (PSP Import)

The US release for this game will be in February, but if you're a super hardcore fan of the series and you want it now, it's just an import shop away.

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Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom (Xbox 360)

This is being described as a Dynasty Warriors/Diablo-like action RPG that takes place in the Kingdom Under Fire universe. Based on what I've read about the game, I'd wager that the four-player co-op mode could be pretty popular amongst those who actually pick it up.

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The King of Fighters '94 (Wii VC)

This is cool if you have the Classic Controller, but I think that you'd be better off getting KOF XI or Neo Geo Battle Coliseum for the PS2 instead. Or, you can just wait for the eventual release of '98.

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Omega Five (Xbox Live Arcade)

I find it odd that Natsume of Harvest Moon fame was the one that developed this game. Have they ever made a side-scrolling schmup before? Going by the videos on YouTube, it looks great. However, as far as schmups go, it seems like the game is a little on the slow side. Besides that, my main concern is that it will end up like Alien Hominid (i.e. great looking game with really shitty gameplay). If the gameplay holds up and I end up getting it, I'll probably always use the hardcore one-hit-death option, 'cause, you know - I like pain. There'd better be a special ending for those that are awesome enough to finish it with that option though. Anyway, if you get Omega Five and you are really into old-school schmups, sound off in the comments section. I'd love to read your opinions on it.

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Star Tropics (Wii VC)

Star Tropics was one of the first games that I bought with my own money. Oddly enough, I have no idea why I picked it up in the first place. What I do remember, though, was that I liked the game immensely. I don't hear a lot of people talking about this, so I'll assume that it wasn't very popular. It's a shame, as the jumping that you have to do as pretty fun and beating down enemies with a yo-yo was always a blast. Plus, there's that thing that you had to do with the letter that came with the game. I always wondered how Nintendo was going to simulate that once the game was released on the virtual console. Their solution was better than what I expected.

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In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (Movie Theaters)

I love movies of the so-bad-they're-good variety. And, as luck would have it, this movie gives us two and a half hours of the goodness. C'mon! Statham doing martial arts in a Medieval setting - that is quality.


To Be Continued...

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That's it for this week. Right now I'm trying to get into Captain Bell's cave, but the only thing in this room is a huge organ. If I can figure out how to use the organ to get into the cave, I'll be back next week.