The Negative Edge News Report 02.27.08

Posted by Tommy Coloma on 02.27.2008

An awesome stealth game that pre-dates Metal Gear Solid, one of the greatest deals in video game history, finally being able to play Street Fighter Alpha 3 online, quality time with SNK, this week's releases, and more!



Can you believe that I spent the whole night playing PSP games? I can't believe it either. Who would have guessed that the PSP has a lot of good games?


The Music Box

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I'm going to mix things up a little by not going with an NES game. I hope you don't mind.

Earlier this week one of my friends tried to convince me that Metal Gear Solid was the first notable 3D stealth game ever. Being the awesome video game historian that I am (not really!), I took it upon myself to teach my friend a history lesson. To do so, I busted out my copy of this week's game which I bought for $10 back in '97. Oddly enough, I bought the game specifically so that I could hear the CD version of this week's song. I learned about the low price-point from someone in my dorm when he randomly walked into my room one day waving his copy around while telling me to listen to it. You know that a game's music is noteworthy when people are willing to buy it just to listen to it. Don't get me wrong - the game is cool, but anyone that played it back in the day would probably remember it for its soundtrack as much as for its unique gameplay mechanics.

Alright. Let's talk about the game. What was unique about this particular gem was the fact that you had to switch among four different behavioral modes - normal, discreet, athletic, and agressive - in order to progress through the game. In normal you could walk around, mess with objects, and talk to people. In discreet you could sneak around ala your typical stealth game. Athletic mode allowed you to run. Agressive gave you the ability to beat the crap out of anyone, including the good guys, which was the best part of the game for many. This game came out in '94 while MGS came out it '98. I don't know if it was the first 3D stealth game, but it was definitely one of the earliest ones. I know - there were already stealth games back in the NES days. That's why the conversation with my friend centered around the first 3D steath game. A sequel or an update would totally rock on a current console. It's too bad that the company that was responsible for it no longer exists.


The News As I See It

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eloquently spoken by J Weenus
(click on the image to see the original NSFW picture)
Possibly the greatest deal in video game history
It was pretty obvious what the timer that was being displayed on the front page of Atlus' site was counting down to. Now it's official - we're finally going to be getting Persona 3 FES on the 22nd of April for the awesomely low price of $29.99. What we're getting is the original Persona 3 with new content along with a separate episode that takes place after the original game ends. According Atlus' site, "the set provides 120-plus hours of gameplay." It took me a little over 100 hours to beat the first game so that isn't an exaggeration considering episode Aigis is said to take 30 hours to complete. Even though it took me a long time to finish the original, I'm still looking forward to playing the new episode and, since the first game also has some tweaks, I might do another playthrough just so that I can mess around and see all the new stuff. The game was that enjoyable.


the trailer for FES
Of course, the one question that those who've been salivating over FES have been asking is - "Will Mara be censored in the American release?" Before I get to that, a little review is in order. One of the most talked about aspects of the game, aside from the fact that it's super awesome cool, is the way characters use magic. That's because in order to use magical attacks, characters have to use a special gun, called an evoker, to call out special beings, or Persona. Persona 3 FES adds several new Persona, including one called Mara. There are many ways people have described this Persona. I personally thought that "d--- in a golden wheelchair" was a great description. Many wonder whether or not we will get it in the US release. Seeing as how it is called out in at least one of the videos in the official web site (see the next video), I'd venture to say that we will be calling out our phallic friend in the game when it hits the shelves later this year.


there it is in full motion glory

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Street Fighter Alpha 3 is playable online. The world is now a better place.
I talked about GGPO a few weeks ago but I'm sure that some of you forgot about it, so, to summarize, GGPO is a program that allows you to play fighting games online with little-to-no noticeable lag. Even when playing people overseas, the whole experience is far superior to what I was getting while playing people in California through Xbox Live. Up until now, the only games that were playable were The King of Fighters 98, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Dungeons and Dragons, Marvel vs. Capcom, and Vampire Savior. However, today Street Fighter Alpha 3 was added to the mix. So, if you want to practice against real people before Street Fighter IV and HD Remix come out, here is your chance to do so in the comfort of your own home. Just remember this after you get your ass handed to you for the 100th time - it's only a game...

You can learn about GGPO here.

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Quality time with SNK
I got a chance to visit SNK's demo room during GDC. There they had playable copies of their KOF Orochi Saga compilation, SNK Arcade Classics: Volume 1, their Samurai Showdown Anthology, and KOF 98 Ultimate Match. Though the Orochi Saga spans KOF 95-97, SNK decided to include both '94 and '98 just for the hell of it. As I always say, free is good, and there's nothing better than getting a copy of KOF '98 for free. While playing through '98 I did notice that I kept getting my ass kicked by the computer. This happened while playing both the Wii and PS2 versions of the game. I seriously felt like crap after my play session as I am usually able to last for at least a little while in the arcades. For Arcade Classics, I only played Sengoku since that's the game I'd buy the whole collection for. It's just as I remembered it. I don't think that it's aged very well, but it is still fun to play. Samurai Showdown Anthology will contain all of the 2D Samurai Showdown games. I tried the last game in the series and, like ‘98, I kept getting my ass kicked by the CPU. Was it always that hard? Of course, the big title for me was KOF '98 Ultimate Match. While there were copies of the Orochi Saga and Ultimate Match right next to each other, it really wasn't necessary to do a side-by-side comparison to see the improvements. Everything was just that much better looking in the update. Improved graphics weren't the only changes as I could feel some of the differences in the way some of my favorite characters played. Vice's Mayhem, for example, goes noticeably farther so I didn't constantly miss while using it as was the case with the compilation version. There's also an Ultimate option to go along with Advanced and Extra, but I could not figure out what it did. While everything was fun to play, I still have misgivings over the fact that none of the games (as far as I could tell) have an online feature. With the computer AI being the bitch that it is, I can't see myself wanting to play these titles unless I have friends over.

After playtime was over I took a few minutes to ask a few questions. One of the first questions I asked is whether or not there will be an Xbox Live version of any of the titles. Unfortunately, there are no plans at this time. I wasn't really expecting much, but I had to ask anyway. I also asked about Doki Doki Majo Shinpan, to which I got a quick "no chance." We're probably never going to see the cell phone games in the US either. Since the KOF collection came with '94 and '98, I checked to see if there was a possibility that the Last Blade series would be added to the Samurai Showdown package. Unfortunately, that is not in the cards at this time. I was told, however, that the series was supposed to come out in America a few years ago. Unfortunately, SCEA shot that idea down. I guess that was during their anti-2D phase. All of the games save for the World Heroes Anthology and Arcade Classics are slated for the end of the fourth quarter of '08. I know, it sucks, but if you really want them earlier, you can always import. I know I will.

Overall, good stuff from SNK, except, of course, for the fact that none of their titles are online-enabled.


The Release List

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Honorable mentions: Patapon (PSP), Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Wii VC), Psychosis (Wii VC), and Puzzle Guzzle (PSP). I also missed Phantasy Star II (Wii VC) last week. It's worth getting just for the twist alone. I'm sure that you don't have to be reminded that PS II was released long before Final Fantasy VII came out, right?


Trigger Heart Exelica (Xbox Live Arcade)
I actually have this game on the Dreamcast. In fact, I believe that I got it a year ago this week. It's a pretty decent side-scrolling shooter with a unique twist - the "anchor shot." The anchor shot allows you to latch onto flying enemies and either use them as a shield or swing them around so that you can throw them at other enemies for major damage. I don't know about the game's lasting appeal, but it is definitely a game that's worth checking out if you need something to occupy your time until Ikaruga comes out.


lots of examples of the throw mechanic here

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Heavenly Guardian (PS2)
Remember Pocky and Rocky? Did you like those games? If so, then you might want to check this one out. This was supposed to be the next game in the Pocky and Rocky series until the license was lost. That didn't happen until the game was almost done so the only real changes were graphical (they had to change the main character). I just wish that they'd kept the Japanese cover art (left). The US cover art (right) is simply atrocious!

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Blokus Portable: Steambot Championship (PSP)
Apparently, the board game that this is based on has sold over three million copies worldwide. If it matters, the board game was also honored for excellence by Mensa (the high-IQ society). It looks like Irem shoehorned characters in from their Steambot Chronicles series though. That isn't necessarily a bad thing (they look cool to me), but it might be a little off-putting for some. Seeing as it's a budget title, I'll probably give it a try soon.

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NiGHTS into Dreams (PS2 Import)
I've been seeing some mixed reactions with the new Wii NiGHTS game. If you're a little disillusioned with the Wii's sequel, or if you loved it and want to play the original with updated visuals, here's your chance. I wonder if it comes with the option to play Christmas NiGHTS...


To Be Continued...

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That's all I have for this week. It's after midnight and all the people around me have turned into coffins. If I can figure out why these things keep happening during this dark hour, I'll be back next week.