The Red Snifit 06.10.08 - WHEN SEQUELS GO WRONG

Posted by Chris Scott on 06.09.2008

This week, 411's Chrs Scott discusses a the flying bricks to his window pane of his gaming life that are crappy sequels. "It's a Sonic game, how can I lose?" We all used to say that, didn't we? He also has your VC Corral and WiiWare Ranch for ya, so get clickin'!



Welcome to yet another edition of The Red Snifit. I'm your host, who's fresh out of batteries, but still making noise, Chris Scott. They say that you learn something new every day, and last week I learned that having "El Scorcho" by Weezer stuck in your hear while you're at work makes for a shitty day. It's a fine song, but it gives you this hung-over feeling after a while, which does not make Chris an alert and productive worker. Consider this a public service announcement; don't say I never helped you out, you jerk! With that ray of sunshine out of the way, it's time for........

OUR FEATURE PRESENTATION: When Sequels Go Wrong

Sequels, whether it be for movies, video games, or anything else, are made because it's predecessor was hugely successful and following up on it is an easy way to make money. Many sequels that follow become successes by furthering the tale of the original or twisting the same story enough to create a fresh, new experience. But sequels aren't always automatic winners. Today we explore 4 games that somehow screwed a good thing up as we see what happens when sequels go wrong.

Donkey Kong 3

The story was simple in Donkey Kong 1 and 2: someone haw captured someone very dear to you, get to the top of the screen and save her/him. In Donkey Kong 3, for some reason, everybody's favorite stubborn gorilla is pissing off bees and ruining your garden and you, Stanley the Bugman, has to spray bug spray up his ass to shoo him away. I know at that point Mario had gone on the bigger and better things, but why couldn't he be in the game? Perhaps have him be the trapped one and Daisy be the hero? Or throw Luigi in there or somethin'?

Hey You, Pikachu!

Love it or hate it, Pokemon is the 2nd best selling franchise in gaming; and in it's heyday, Nintendo would take any game, slap Pikachu on the cover, and watch the money roll in. That has to be the explanation to how Hey You, Pikachu! was made. Let's take Seaman, put in clunky graphics, and place this cute, yellow mouse in the place of that weird fish guy. The face that the game only understood 200 words was it's downfall............that and Pikachu flinging it's own feces at you. Oddly enough, this game got it's own sequel (Pokemon Channel), and that game sucked as well.

Tetris 2

Tetris, in my opinion, is the most perfect game ever made. It's simple, addictive, and always presents a challenge no matter how good you are at it. Tetris 2 was like trying to reinvent the wheel; why would we want to? I see Nintendo's idea (let's combine Tetris and Dr. Mario to make the ultimate puzzle game!), but it just dosen't work out in my worthless opinion.

Sonic 3D Blast

Although bad Sonic games are now the norm, at the time of it's release, Sonic was on such a huge role that we pondered if the speedy blue hedgehog might actually topple Mario. After Sonic 3D Blast, he took a punch to the stomach and still hasn't fully recovered from it yet. Using isometrics to give the illusion of 3 dimensions, The game was hard to control, notably slower that it's predecessors, and just plain sucked.

I know there are many craptacular sequels I haven't touch on, but that's all my poor little brain can take right now; so let us unwind and travel off into............

THE VIRTUAL CONSOLE CORRAL!

I decided that instead of the usual format I used to give out my thoughts on this week's VC releases, I'm just gonna stick with the order in which I use for WiiWare titles for both VC Corral and WiiWare Ranch. Unless you, the readers, protest, or I advise you otherwise, this is how it shall be done from hear on out. With that being said, here are this week's Virtual Console offerings:

Dig Dug (NES - 600 points)

Become Dig Dug, the champion of love and justice, as you drill up, down, left and right, defeating any enemies in your path. Avoid the persistent Pooka and the deep-dwelling but whimsical Fygar as you defeat all the enemies in order to clear each stage. Defeat enemies by hitting them with the harpoon and pumping air into them, or by dropping rocks on them from above. Receive bonus points by getting the vegetables that appear in the middle of the stage. Receive high points for defeating deep-dwelling enemies or by defeating Fygars from the side with the harpoon. Pass through inflated enemies or defeat enemies in an adjacent passage for an even higher score. Lure multiple enemies and defeat them with a single rock from above in this thrilling action game.

Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa (NES - 600 points)

Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa is an action game released in 1988, but it was never available outside of Japan. Players take on the role of baby Upa, a prince of the Akuyo kingdom. Prince Upa must take on an adventure spanning seven different worlds in order to rescue the kingdom from the dangerous demon Zai. Upa must defeat the enemies he meets along the way by inflating them. Upa can then use these floating enemies to his advantage by bouncing off of or riding on top of them. The prince must also avoid deadly thorns and pits while keeping an eye out for helpful items such as milk (to restore health) and bells (for temporary invincibility) if he hopes to succeed. If you're looking for a cute and solid platformer with a hero unlike those in most other games, then look no further than Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa.


I really see no reason to buy Dig Dug. I really don't know why Nintendo feels the need to charge $6.00 for it. I know it wasn't released in the US as an NES game, but it's fairly common on other platforms. Unless you don't feel like owning Namco Museum (and why wouldn't you?) on any of the many consoles or plug-n-play games it's on, ignore it. As for Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa, I highly recommend buying it. It's kind of a mix between Dig Dug and Mario, and it has that whimsical feeling like Little Nemo: Dream Master.

Now let's mosey on out into the new and exciting world of.........

THE WIIWARE RANCH!

This week only has 1 game, and here it is.............

My Pokemon Ranch
The Pokémon phenomenon debuts on WiiWare with My Pokémon Ranch, a game that lets you watch as Pokémon and Miis interact with each other for the first time. Enjoy the relaxing ranch life by viewing your ranch and its Pokémon, taking pictures and sending those pictures to your friends via the Wii Message Board. The more Pokémon and Miis you bring to your ranch, the more fun it becomes. My Pokémon Ranch can be linked with the Nintendo DS Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl Game Cards to deposit the Pokémon you've caught in these games in your ranch. You can deposit a maximum of 1,000 Pokémon from up to eight different game cards. Make your ranch livelier by playing with your friends and family.

So..........is it a game or a channel? This sounds like a Mii Channel for Pokemon, but I'm not sure. Is it merely a storage bay for Pokemon? I can't tell by looking at the previews and I can't tell by reading the description; therefore I can't recommend picking it up.

That will be all for this week's The Red Snifit. I'm Chris Scott, and I'm off to play Bio Miracle Bokuppe Upa