The Negative Edge News Report 08.14.08

Posted by Tommy Coloma on 08.14.2008

This week we take a look at both the 360 and PS3 versions of Bionic Commando Rearmed, revisit one of the biggest announcements at E3, and find out why you won't get into Blizzcon this year. We also go through this week's releases, take a look at some of your future purchases, see how one person made Mega Man 3's soundtrack even better, and More!



Over the past week I found myself finishing off disc 2 of Lost Odyssey. Encounters, puzzles, and missions are varied enough to keep things interesting and the story is still as engaging as it was in the first disc. I definitely want to see how things go in discs 3 and 4. Unfortunately, I might not be able to keep my one-disc-a-week schedule, as I just got one of my most anticipated games this year. No, it isn't Madden. It is, of course, Bionic Commando Rearmed. Aside from Blaster Master and Mega Man 2, Bionic Commando on the NES was one of the games that I played the most when I was younger. So, being able to play an updated version of the game is pretty exciting. I had the game up there with Mega Man 9 and Street Fighter IV as my main reason for going to E3 this year. And what little I played at the convention convinced me that I must buy it when it gets released. If you're a fan of the original, there is no question in my mind that you will like the updated version. There is at least one change to the arm mechanics that you have to get used to (pressing down and B in the air to shoot your arm straight ahead), but for the most part, you should be able to get through the game using what you already know. I was able to storm the first level without using any of the new techniques until I got to the first boss. Level 0 has a complete run-through on everything you can do with the arm. Don't blow off level 0 completely if you're a BC veteran as there is a power-up toward the end that allows you to shoot faster. From what I can tell, the safe-zones are gone. That doesn't change the game much, but it is noticeable. The canister/level-up system is non-existent as well. Now you collect blue orbs, but they only improve your score. You start off with an energy bar so a leveling-up system isn't really needed anyway. Overall, the game is much easier than the original. I asked one of the developers about it at E3 and he told me that they made it that way so that they could reach a larger audience. He also said that selecting the highest difficulty should make the game more like it's NES counterpart. The only real complaint that I have is the way you hack the enemy's transmissions. Whereas in the older version you just pressed a button, in the update you have to work through a 3D minigame/puzzle. These things really slow the game down and aren't really that fun unless you're into that sort of thing. Oh, and not being able to bounce off of people's heads sucks too (yeah, I'm being nitpicky now). If you are a newcomer to the series, I'd recommend that you try the demo out first. Even though it's been dumbed down a little, it is still at it's heart an old-school platformer. It's probably more unforgiving than most of the games that you're used to, meaning that you'll need precise timing (and sometimes some luck) in order to get through much of the game. What you've played so far on Live hasn't prepared you for the punishment that you're about to endure.

If you read my columns regularly, you already know which version I'm going to recommend, but here is my explanation for those of you who don't. Let's get the most useless thing out of the way first - the 360 version is 214 megs while the PS3 one is 374. I bought and played both versions (the US version for the 360 and the Japanese one for the PS3) on the same 1080p TV, switching between both, and I will have to say that the 360 version looks better. I don't know where the extra 150+ megs went to in the PS3 version, but it obviously isn't the graphics. But as far as I'm concerned, they both look great. The only thing that you should be concerned about is the controls. Yes, I've said it before, and I will continue to say it until Microsoft does something about it - the Xbox 360's d-pad sucks ass. Any fanboy that wants to defend it need only play this game to know that this is an argument that he/she simply cannot win. If you play the game with the 360 pad, you will throw your arm up when you wanted to throw it diagonally and diagonally when you wanted to throw it up. You will die when you shouldn't have. You will look down at the d-pad and curse the jackass at Microsoft who approved its design. The PS3, on the other had, has a d-pad that, while not perfect, is great for Bionic Commando. It is the reason that I, along with everyone else that plays platformers, would recommend the PS3 version over the Xbox 360 version. Hell, I'd even recommend the PC version over the Xbox 360's as playing on a keyboard would give you better control over your character. So, if you want to keep your sanity, get the PS3 or PC port of the games if possible. If those aren't an option, get the 360 one, but when you die through no fault of your own, just remember that it isn't the game, it's the fucking controller.


The Music Box

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Can you listen to the whole thing without cracking?
Brandon over at insert credit posted some links to a few Mega Man 3 videos in which the music and sound effects were completely replaced with voice effects from the Vocaloid2 Hatsune Miku character vocal update. Sadly, I was able to watch all of the videos that he linked to in their entirety... and I enjoyed them. Can you do the same?

On a related note, Vocaloid2 became popular thanks to a fan created video that featured Miku singing the Ievan Polkka song. Isn't it cool how some random videos can help companies sell their software?


Don't worry. Unlike the Flash animation, this one ends.

The News As I See It

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See the feature that will change the industry
This is just as important as Final Fantasy XIII
I didn't do my E3 recap (yet), but if I had, I would have declared the Xbox 360 getting FFXIII as being the biggest news to come out of the conference, followed closely by the announcement that the Fall update would allow gamers to copy their discs onto their hard drives. On the surface, it doesn't really look like a big deal. I mean, hackers were able to do that quite easily with the original Xbox and PS2, so the whole concept isn't new. What is new is the fact that the ability to play full games on a hard drive is now going to be built into the system legitimately. How the games get onto the system is where things get interesting. Right now, they're touting the ability to copy your store-bought games onto your hard drive. Since the games are an exact copy of what is on the DVD, it really doesn't matter where they come from. A full DVD game downloaded from, say, the Xbox Live Marketplace will play just as well as a game that was copied directly from a disc. The offhand announcement of this Fall update is basically Microsoft saying that digital downloads for full 360 games are coming. Being able to download any 360 game you want at any time, not having to mess with discs, not having to preorder, and getting new releases at midnight are just some of the advantages for consumers. This will also allow developers to actually make more money (no more losing money to the used-games market) which will in turn result in better games. Yes, there will be problems at the beginning (for instance, not everyone has the hard drive space to take advantage of such a service), but this is where things are headed. It's about time one of the big 3 got serious about it.

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Did you get yours?
I'm not really that interested in the con, but I usually like to point out the failure of companies to make sure that its fans are served first and foremost. I'm sure that a large number of fans were able to get tickets, but a quick search shows that quite a few unscrupulous bastards are taking advantage of the die-hard ones that weren't able to get theirs. It's so very sad...

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Ready to import it?
Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom @ Evo
This was recorded at Evo over the weekend. You can go to GameVideos to see the others. I don't have much to say, other than it looks nice, even if I don't know half the characters in the game.

Oh, and it's cool that we're finally getting an updated version of Morgan. I was tired of seeing the same sprites from the Vampire games in every single game Capcom put her in.

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The new covers are ugly, but it's what's on the inside that counts
Ever try Disgaea? How about Odin Sphere? No? Why the hell not? Ok, so if the insistence of those on the 'nets hasn't convinced you that these games are worth your time, how about the fact that both are receiving the "Greatest Hits" treatment next month? That's right. Now you can see what all the fuss was about for less than the cost of a trip to the movies. My only gripe - I hate having those damn "Greatest Hits" labels at the top. Could they at least make them look cool?


The Release List

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The biggest releases this week are Bionic Commando Rearmed (Xbox Live Arcade and possibly PSN) and Madden NFL 09 (all systems but the PC). There's also Star Parodier (Wii VC) for those of you who like quirky top-down shooters. If those aren't really your thing, here are some other releases that you might be intersted in -


Bangai-O Spirits (DS)
The DC version was a great shooter with some off-beat humor. I expect nothing less from this remake. This version has 160 levels, the ability to make and share levels, co-op play, and 4 player comp. Pretty sweet, but did it have to come out in the same week that Madden and Bionic Commando Rearmed came out?

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Street Fighter Alpha (PSN)
The announcement for this was supposed to be a big surprise, but honestly, it really isn't that big of a deal. Even though it's only $6, I suggest that you wait for Alpha 2 or Alpha 3 or just buy Alpha Anthologies. Alpha 1 pales in comparison to all of its successors.


That will be 255 Rupees Please!

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Initial D Extreme Stage (PS3 Import) for $34.90

The game just came out and they've already discounted it. I'd say that it has more to do with the fact that this version doesn't support online play. Again, if you're a fan of the series, you might want to check this out. $35 is a steal as long as you don't care about playing online.

Want to know more about Initial D? Too bad! The following video has little to do with the show, except for the fact that it shows some drifting as well as the 86 in action.


Over-the-top acting, drifting, and dinosaurs. This has it all!

This Week's Wallpaper

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by sergevirusx
Namco X Capcom bionic commando
I'm not sure if this is an original work or if the artist did some tracing, but either way, it just screams awesome. I wish that they had kept the same look in the upcoming 3D update. The sausage arms just don't do it for me.


To Be Continued...

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That's it for this week. Now, I just finished driving a bus through the desert for 8 hours straight with only a point to show for it. If I can complete the return trip without feeling the need to shoot someone, I'll be back next week.