The Negative Edge News Report 09.04.08

Posted by Tommy Coloma on 09.04.2008

Capcom proves that it cares about online play, EA makes it easy for you to prepare for Red Alert 3, and NIS asks us if it's ok for a Prinny to be the main character. All this, plus this week's releases, and More!



The only game that I had time to play this week was Bionic Commando Rearmed. Beating the game was a lot more satisfying than I had expected, especially considering the fact that there are unlimited continues. I don't usually take 2D platformers with unlimited continues very seriously, mostly because such an option makes beating the game trivial - if you keep continuing you'll eventually beat it and if your progress is automatically saved, you don't have to start from the beginning ever again. I don't know about you, but I miss the days when I could look forward to playing a game from start to finish in one sitting and feel like I've accomplished something. I used to do that with the original Bionic Commando (it was such a bitch to do because you only got 2-3 continues and it was less forgiving than the newer version), Blaster Master, and Bart vs. The Space Mutants. Actually, I still find the time to finish them at least once a year. Sadly, such experiences are hard to find now. These days, only the hardcore would bother trying to complete games with limited continues, so I can understand why few companies are willing to make games like that. However, I can see, down the line, game developers creating tweaked versions of their single-player games (playable either by finishing the full game or through DLC). The tweaked version could include a limited number of continues, shortened versions of the levels you played in the full game along with tweaked enemies (they have to be a challenge so they can't be too easy but you only have a few continues so they can't be too hard either), and a short NES-style story (ie. almost non-existent) to move you along. For a lot of today's games, playing the single-player portion more than once could be a chore. However, if there was a shorter version that can be played in one sitting, that would give people a reason to come back again and again. I think that such a format is something that developers and gamers can have a lot of fun with. What do you think?


The News As I See It

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As long as he doesn't explode on impact, it's ok...
According to PSP Fanboy, Nippon Ichi is preparing a new Disgaea game. Now, before you roll your eyes at the thought of another Disgaea so soon after the release of Disgaea 3, take comfort in the knowledge that this one is going to be a 2D platformer featuring everyone's favorite exploding penguin, Prinny. Other than the fact that it stars a Prinny and is a 2D platformer, not much is known about how the game will play or which Prinny is going to be the star of Prinny: Is it Okay if I'm the Main Character? The only thing that I can say is that the screenshots that have been floating around look nice so far. There is an official site which looks like it's going to be updated on the 5th. Hopefully, they'll provide actual gameplay footage at that time.

Edit: The official web site has been updated with gameplay footage! It looks pretty sweet (i.e. not half-assed). If I read things correctly, the release date is the 20th of November.

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GGPO is awesome, and Capcom knows it!
Well, I've talked about GGPO a few times already, and for good reason - games played online using it offer a far superior experience than anything you've seen on Xbox Live and PSN (at least as far as fighters go). Now it seems that Capcom has taken notice and took it upon itself secure a multi-year, multi-game license for the technology. It doesn't look like HD Remix will make use of GGPO, but, according to an article at capcom-unity, the developers at Backbone did consult with Tony Cannon, the developer of GGPO, and he indicated that their current netcode is almost on par with his. So, the future is looking bright for fighting game fans who long for arcade-like experiences from the comfort of their own homes. With Street Fighter IV coming next year, it's the perfect time for Capcom to suck-it-up and finally listen to the fans for once.

So how good is GGPO anyway? Well, I've played 3rd Strike against people in Europe of all places and it was still better than playing the same game on Xbox Live against people in my state (California). It's that good! I can only hope that Capcom didn't sign an EXCLUSIVE deal so that other fighting games can benefit from Tony Cannon's hard work. I remember hearing one of the panelists during the Arksys panel at Anime Expo say that they were looking into using GGPO in BlazBlue, so there may be some hope for non-Capcom fighters.

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Preparing for Red Alert 3? Why not practice with Red Alert 1?
The biggest news in RTS-land this week is that EA is giving away the original Red Alert for free. I'd be excited if I didn't own a few copies of the game already. But I'm sure that many of you haven't already experienced the joy of surrounding your base with Tesla coils and watching approaching enemy troops being fried to death. Or how about the joy of partially creating a barracks and engineer, chronosphering an MCV, and then finishing the barracks and engineer instantly (I love RTS exploits!) so that you can take over your enemy's main base and sell it before he could take it back? Yes, it may be 13 years old, but the gameplay still holds up today. It's the perfect game to mess around with if you're in a dorm and have a few hours/days to burn with your dormmates.

You can download the full game here. It's two discs, but you only need one if you're just going to play multi-player. As far as the single-player campaign goes, I'd suggest trying the Soviet side first. The dialog and missions are much more fun and outlandish, especially if you like playing the bad guy. It's also a great way to see why people love the cut-scenes in Command & Conquer games. I guarantee that you'll be quoting some of the lines in bad Russian accents for weeks after playing through this game.

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No Disney NES games for you!
According to Nintendo Everything, Christian Svensson, the VP of strategic planning and business development at Capcom, has indicated that licensing issues are the reason we will not be seeing games like DuckTales, Rescue Rangers, and Darkwing Duck on the virtual console any time soon.

This news is pretty disappointing. Capcom's Disney games were some of the best ones to come out on the NES. While I already own the ones that matter (DuckTales, Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck, Mickey Mousecapades, The Little Mermaid), there were a few that I always wanted to try legitimately some day (Rescue Rangers 2 and DuckTales 2). There is always emulation of course, but I was kinda hoping that the virtual console would eliminate the need for that some day.

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Is laser going somewhere?
Microsoft's PC hardware page has a Flash animation touting the world's most advanced... Well, nobody knows what it is right now. The only clues that they give are the words "say goodbye to laser." They show the mouse prominently in all of the pictures that flash by, so it could be a new type of input device. This doesn't look to be video game related right now, but any new input device for the PC could find its way onto future consoles. The flash animation gives 9.9.08 as the day of reckoning. So, keep an eye out, 'cause this could be big. Then again, it could just be all hype.


Upcoming Games

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Hatsune Miku -Project Diva- (PSP)
Hatsune Miku is a character that was made for the Vocaloid2 Character Vocal Series. If you happened to read my last column, you'll remember that she became popular thanks to a video that made the rounds after Vocaloid2 was released. Not only was she popular enough to be in the Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei manga and anime (she tries out for a voice-acting gig), but, according Canned Dogs, she will also be in her own PSP game in 2009. Right now it looks like it's going to be a rhythm game made by Sega. As long as the song selection isn't crap, it should be ok. I know that they will have at least one good song, so...


See her 2 seconds of glory at 2:02 in.

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Tales of Hearts (DS)
This is yet another Tales game set for release in Japan some time soon. WorthPlaying says that there will be two different versions - one with CG cutscenes and another with anime cutscenes. The gameplay for both will be the same. You can see images of bother versions here.

I find it odd that they're bothering doing this for a DS game. I like the idea of being able to choose cutscene styles though. I'd probably choose the anime-style cutscenes, mostly because they seem to match the actual in-game artwork more closely. Which would you choose?


The Release List

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The three big releases this week include FaceBreaker, Infinite Undiscovery, and Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise. I like the parrying system used in FaceBreaker, but I doubt that I'll find anyone that I could actually use it against. Infinite Undiscovery and Viva Pinata are both games that I'm putting in my queue of things to get down the line, but with so many other good releases that just came out and that are still in the pipe for this year, I think they can wait. Here are some other games that I didn't get to talk about last week (but are still worth mentioning): Captain Rainbow (Wii import), From the Abyss (DS), Tales of Vesperia (360), MLB Power Pros 2008 (DS), Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness (DS), Simple DS Series Vol. 40: The Gekai (DS import), Wordmaster (DS), and Mario Super Sluggers (Wii)

Other notables from this week and last week include -


Ys (Wii VC)
I've heard many tales about how badass this series was on the TurboDuo back in the day. I think that it was popular enough to be a pack-in for the system, so that should tell you something. I will definitely pick this up soon.

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N+ (DS and PSP)
I own the PSP version but I also tried the DS one. Both are excellent, but both have problems. On the DS, the top screen shows you the entire room while the bottom screen is zoomed in on the action, so you're forced to constantly look back and forth to get a complete grasp of what's around you. The PSP version's view is locked at slightly zoomed in, which in most cases gives you about 3/4ths of the entire room. I would have preferred to have had the option to zoom things out, but what you're given is usually good enough. Both allow you to create, upload, and download custom levels through Atari's servers, a service the XBLA version failed to provide. They're well worth the $20 budget price if you like platformers and aren't a graphics whore.

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Disgaea 3: Absense of Justice (PS3)
At the press event that NISA had a few months back, the attendees were told that one of the developers' goals was to create a game that could be played for a million hours. I did my calculations and I'm pretty sure most people can't live that long, but I get what they're trying to say. Considering how many hours I've put into the original game alone, I don't doubt that NIS is capable of creating a game that can be enjoyed for years.

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Samurai Showdown II (Wii VC)
Even though this is considered to be the best in the series, I suggest that you wait for the compilation to come out in December. Knowing Sony, I'm sure that they'll force SNK to sell the compilation, which contains SS 1-6, for a mere $20. $10 for 1 game or $20 for the complete series. You decide.

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PictoImage (DS)
Think Pictionary, but on the DS. This is a budget title at $20, but it allows eight people to play with only one cartridge. I see this as something that you can play with your girlfriend or someone that isn't a hardcore video game player. Well, hardcore gamers might like it too, but you get the point!

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Fate/tiger Colosseum Upper (PSP Import)
I played the original and it was ok for what it was (which was a poor-man's Power Stone). If I wasn't a fan of the Fate/stay Night visual novel I probably wouldn't have bothered. I'd suggest just waiting for Fate Unlimited Codes to come out for the PS2 later this year unless you really want that $100 Megamori Box.

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AFRIKA/Hakuna Matata (PS3 Import)
Sorry, the only thing you'll be shooting in this safari simulator is a camera. I don't really have an opinion on this. I'll just point out that it'd be funny if this game sports some of the best animal models on the PS3 but doesn't allow you to shoot them. At least I think that it would be funny...


To Be Continued...

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That's all I have for this week.

Now, I am fighting against a giant frog but all I have is a grenade. If I can figure out how to exploit the system so that that one grenade could be used to destroy the frog, I'll be back next week.