The Negative Edge News Report 04.09.08

Posted by Tommy Coloma on 04.09.2008

Microsoft's answer to the Wii remote, Nintendo's desire to make hungry gamers wait, another chance for Sony to capitalize on Microsoft's mistakes, this week's releases, and More!



It's been a little while. Reason? I killed my computer while trying to install some video editing equipment. Thankfully, I was able to get everything up and running, so next week I should be able to start uploading footage of whatever I've been playing. Right now, let's just get to the good stuff -


The Music Box

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This mix by minibosses (I assure you that their name doesn't include "the") contains songs from the first game in a series that gained popularity on the NES. Despite being on a much weaker system, the NES version was hands-down far superior to its arcade counterpart (Bionic Commando is the only other game that I can think of that was able to pull that off). One of the things that helped was, of course, the awesome soundtrack. Despite how memorable they were, none of the songs made it onto any of the newer games in the series. Not even the recent DS outing had any, which is a shame. The songs deserve to be heard by those who skipped out or were just too young to hear them back in the day.


Side note: If you've never visited the minibosses site or if you've been there but haven't been back for a little while, you should check it out. They have some songs that you can download for free, including updated versions of some of their more popular renditions. The updated one for Mega Man 2 in particular is pretty badass (they added Quick Man's stage music), though they should have kept the old version somewhere on the site.


The News As I See It

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They say that imitation...
According to MTV, Microsoft is currently working on its own Wii remote-like controller which could very well be released by the end of the year. The controller is supposedly "designed to do all the Wii remote does, and more." Surprisingly, Rare (you remember them, right?) "has been tasked with creating a unified interface and look for the controller."

Let me get this out of the way first - It would be incredibly lame if Microsoft were to rip off the Wii at this point in time. The company needs to at least show some respect and wait until this generation is over (or maybe just a few more years since this generation might last a long time). Now, despite my feelings on the lameness of such a move, I also think that it would be absolutely awesome if they were to pull it off. We'll finally be able to play GOOD FPS games with PC-like controls on a console. Maybe we can actually see an RTS on a console that has controls that don't suck (sorry, I haven't tried Universe at War yet). An Xbox 360 with such a controller could be thought of as the Wii's successor, only instead of being released in five-to-ten years, we get it this year or next. I hope that this isn't a late April Fool's day joke...

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What is a Rondo?
The Japanese Virtual Console will be getting the highly sought-after Rondo of Blood some time this month. In related news, eBay auction prices for a certain PC Engine Super CD game mysteriously plummeted.

As much as I liked the PSP version, I always felt that there was something off about it. After hooking my PSP up to my TV, I finally figured out what it was - the game needs to be played on a bigger screen. Side-scrolling platformers lose something when they're shoehorned into a portable. You know what I'm talking about! Once again, the VC saves the day by making sure that another classic is not relegated to the small screen. Now, when are we going to get this in the US?

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Sorry. We hate making money.
Waiting for games sucks. But what if we had a way to avoid the pain and frustration of waiting? Well, for Wii owners, that way came in the form of Datel's Freeloader, a disc which allowed gamers to play Wii games from different regions. Live in Europe and want to play Smash Bros. Brawl during the first half of 2008? That's doable! Live outside of Japan but want to play a crappy Simple Series game just so that you can make fun of it? No problem! But, alas, Nintendo saw fit to make it so that the Freeloader is not compatible with the Japanese version of Mario Kart Wii. While this is the first game that has shown some incompatibility, it's safe to assume that upcoming titles will also gimp the Freeloader.

There aren't really that many Xbox 360 games that are worth importing. You can chalk that up to the fact that nobody likes the 360 in Japan. The PS3 is region free, so that isn't a problem either. Likewise, the DS and PSP allow gamers to play games from any region. Essentially, though the Wii is the system that is most likely to have games that are import-worthy (other than the PS2), it is fast becoming the system that is the hardest to play imports on... legally. If Nintendo isn't careful, they'll drive people who wish to play imports legitimately toward mod-chips. How do I know? Because I'm thinking about it right now!

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So... we let too much crap in at the beginning...
A few weeks ago, I asked why Success would even consider releasing a Raiden compilation on disc when an XBLA release would have been more logical. As if to answer that question, a spokesperson from a development studio that was working on Xbox Live Arcade ports of several shooters by the legendary Cave mentioned, in an interview with Famitsu, that Microsoft rejected the studio's projects because it wanted to cut down on "faithful arcade ports." (credit: Xblah via Ars Technica)

Top-down shooters are still pretty popular in Japan. Just look at how the Raiden compilation was able to crack the top-ten during its first week in release. The development studio that secured the rights to the Cave titles decided to show Microsoft that its decision was wrong by releasing two of the more popular games at retail. So, Cave fans are at least able to play the games. I think that it would be better if they'd just port the shooters onto the PS3 instead. Their success on PlayStation Store would be a great "fuck you!" to Microsoft. C'mon Sony! Capitalize on this!


The Release List

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I guess most people are looking forward to Ikaruga this week. There's also a retail version of Portal for those that are afraid of some Steam and/or Oranges. Baroque is there for those who want a challenge on their Wii (it's also getting a PS2 release). Oh yeah! Bases Loaded on the Virtual Console might be worth a look, though I would have preferred Bad News Baseball. Of course, there is much more out there for you to discover -


Arcana Heart (PS2)
This is a 2D fighting game that features girls who fit into pretty much every Anime archetype that you can think of. The import that I got a few months back was fun, but I couldn't really get into it because I had no idea what was going on. The localized version should remedy that, so I'll probably (no promises!) have more to say about the game next week.

edit: Arcana Heart has been delayed so it won't ship until the 10th. If you're lucky, you might be able to find this at retail on Friday.

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Umihara Kawase Portable (PSP Import) - released two weeks ago -
Umihara Kawase Portable is a remake of the game of the same name (minus the "Portable") for the Super Famicon and PS1. The game follows a girl who uses a fishing pole to swing onto ledges that she would not have otherwise been able to reach with a simple jump. Many liken this game to Bionic Commando, but I'd say that there are enough differences in the way the grappling system works to say that they can't be considered the same. Unlike with Bionic Commando, you are given the ability to jump, you can extend or retract your line at will, and the line has a springy attribute that you have to master in order to traverse through each room efficiently. I read that the PSP port is pretty buggy, but I played a few hours of it already and I haven't found anything that's totally game-breaking. If you want to work on your hardcore platforming skills, this is the game to get.


Bionic Commando? Not. Even. Close.

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Fatal Fury Battle Archives Volume 2 (PS2)
I was sort of excited about this until I found out that it does not come with Mark of the Wolves. C'mon SNK! You already have enough compilations coming out. No need to milk things this much!

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image from JEUXFRANCE
Neo Geo Stick 2 (Wii Import)
First of all, I like the fact that they didn't make a white version of the stick. Not all Wii accessories have to be white! Now, if they made this the same as the PS2 version, then there will be no analog stick support. In other words, don't expect to be able to use this with Smash Bros. Brawl. Overall, it's still cool, but a bit unnecessary unless you're a diehard SNK fan; the Hori stick is just as good and probably more accessible. Oh - this connects to the end of the Wii remote, so yes, you do get to partake in wireless joystick action, something that neither the PS3 nor the Xbox 360 allow right now. Shameful!

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Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis (PS2) - released last week -
I got an email from Amazon which told me that this game has "battles that resemble fast paced fighting games." I don't know about that, but what I do know is that this game combines turn-based combat, item synthesis, and school-sim elements which, if done right, should make it awesome. If you like those in your RPGs, maybe this is up your alley. Fans of the Atleier Iris series might also want to try this (I believe that it is considered to be the fifth game in that series).


To Be Continued...

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That's all I have for this week. Some girl wearing a red hood and holding a picnic basket is standing in my way. Her smile is making me uneasy. If I can get past her without incident, I'll be back next week.